18 SYSTEMS OF CONSANGUINITY AND AFFINITY 



line, male, on the mother's side, is composed of my mother's brother and his 

 descendants, and the second, female, of my mother's sister and her descendants. 

 The third collateral line, male, on the father's side, consists of my grandfather's 

 brother and his descendants, and third, female, of my grandfather's sister and her 

 descendants ; on the mother's side, the same line, male, is composed of my grand- 

 mother's brother and his descendants, and the same, female, of my grandmother's 

 sister and her descendants. It will be noticed, in the last case, that we have turned 

 out of the lineal line on the father's side into that on the mother's side. The 

 fourth collateral line, male, on the father's side, consists of my great-grandfather's 

 brother and his descendants; and the fourth, female, of my great-grandfather's 

 sister and her descendants ; the same line, male, on the mother's side, is composed 

 of my great-grandmother's brother and his descendants ; and the same, female, of 

 my great-grandmother's sister and her descendants. In like manner, the fifth col- 

 lateral line, male, on the father's side, consists of my great-great-grandfather's 

 brother and his descendants ; and the fifth, female, of my great-great-grandfather's 

 sister and her descendants ; the same line, male, on the mother's side is composed 

 of my grcat-great-grandmother's brother - and his descendants ; and the same, 

 female, of my great-great-grandmothcr's sister and her descendants. These five 

 lines embrace the great body of our kindred who are within the range of practical 

 or even necessary recognition. 



Where there are several brothers and sisters of each ancestor, they constitute so 

 many branches of each line respectively. If I have several brothers and sisters, 

 they and their descendants constitute as many lines, each independent of the other, 

 as I have brothers and sisters ; but all together they form my first collateral line 

 in two branches, a male and a female. In like manner the several brothers and 

 sisters of my father and of my mother, with their respective descendants, make up 

 as many lines, each independent of the other, as there are brothers and sisters ; but 

 all unite in forming my second collateral line in two divisions, that on the father's 

 side and that on the mother's side, and in four principal branches, two male and 

 two female. If the third collateral line were run out fully in the ascending series, 

 it would give four general divisions of ancestors and eight principal branches ; and 

 the number of each would increase in the same ratio in each successive collateral 

 line. With such a maze of branches, lines, and divisions, embracing such a multi- 

 tude of consanguinei, it will be seen at once that a method of arrangement and 

 description which should maintain each distinct, and render the whole intelligible, 

 would be no ordinary achievement. This work was perfectly accomplished by the 

 Roman civilians, and in a manner so entirely simple as to elicit admiration. It 

 will be seen, however, in the sequel, that the development of the nomenclature to 

 the requisite extent must have been so extremely difficult that it would probably 

 never have occurred except under the stimulus of an urgent necessity. The 

 absence, from the primitive system, of the relationships of uncle and aunt, in the 

 concrete form, was the first want to be supplied to render the new method attain- 

 able. Nor was this alone sufficient ; it was also necessary to discriminate those on 

 the father's side from those on the mother's side, and to elaborate independent 

 terms for each, an achievement made in a limited number only of the languages of 



