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AFFINITIES AND GEOGRAPHICAL DIS- 

 TRIBUTION OF ORGANISMS. 



ALL truth being self-consistent, we might expect that this 

 view of the history of organic nature, if sound, would ac- 

 cord with a just classification of plants and animals, supposing 

 such to exist. It is certainly very desirable that our theory 

 could have been subjected to this test ; but it cannot be, for 

 naturalists are as yet only struggling towards true classifica- 

 tions in both kingdoms. It becomes necessary, nevertheless, 

 that we should make some inquiry into that order which has 

 long been alleged to exist in animated nature, as, if any such 

 thing truly exist, it either must agree with a genealogical 

 system, or become its condemnation. 



The result of my own investigations is, that there is an 

 order in animated nature, but that it has hitherto been much 

 misunderstood both by those who incline to a theory of deve- 

 lopment and others. The former naturally took hold of the 

 idea of gradations, because it generally accorded with the 

 notion of development. They pointed to that " chain of being," 

 or series of ascending forms, which had long been supposed 

 to extend between the animalcule and the human being. It 

 was on the other hand successfully shown that beings did not 

 form " a single and continuous series ;" that it was " impos- 

 sible to place all living animals in such an order that we may 



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