330 THE HISTORY AND SCOPE OF ZOOLOGY IX 



(1670), that there is a relationship to be discovered, 

 and not merely a haphazard congregation of varieties 

 of structure to be classified, had previously gained 

 ground. Cuvier was familiar with the speculations 

 of the " Natur-philosophen," and with the doctrine of 

 transmutation and filiation by which they endeav- 

 oured to account for existing animal forms. The 

 noble aim of F. W. J. Schelling, " das ganze System 

 der Naturlehre von dem Gesetze cler Schwere bis zu 

 den Bildungstrieben der Organismus als ein organ- 

 isches Ganze darzustellen," which has ultimately been 

 realised through Darwin, was a general one among the 

 scientific men of the year 1800. Lamarck accepted 

 the development theory fully, and pushed his specula- 

 tions far beyond the realm of fact. The more cautious 

 Cuvier adopted a view of the relationships of animals 

 which, whilst denying genetic connection as the ex- 

 planation, recognised an essential identity of struc- 

 ture throughout whole groups of animals. This 

 identity was held to be due to an ultimate law of 

 nature or the Creator's plan. The tracing out of this 

 identity in diversity, whether regarded as evidence of 

 blood-relationship or as a remarkable display of skill 

 on the part of the Creator in varying the details 

 whilst retaining the essential, became at this period a 

 special pursuit, to which Goethe, the poet, who him- 

 self contributed importantly to it, gave the name 

 " Morphology." C. F. Wolff, Goethe, and Oken share 

 the credit of having initiated these views, in regard 

 especially to the structure of flowering plants and the 

 Vertebrate skull. Cuvier's doctrine of four plans of 



