ox THE MORPHOLOGICAL VIKW OF NATURE. 243 



the true orbit. It follows that " we must study tiiu 

 different species as constant things," ^ and that this is a 

 more " dignitied " occupation for a " naturalist than the 

 accumulation of doubtful cases in favour of the non- 

 permanence of species." " He agrees with Cuvier in 

 rejecting the older idea of the " echelle des etres,"^ and 

 ho praises the sagacity of Linnaeus, who suggests that 

 the vegetable kingdom resembles a geographical chart,* 

 — an idea which, in the hands of several French and 

 German botanists, has become a fruitful conception. 



In De Candolle we meet with a repeated accentuation 

 of the recurring symmetry of form, of the existence of 

 definite primitive types, in the vegetable kingdom. 

 Simultaneously witli him there was labouring another 

 thinker and keen observer of nature, w^ho was primarily 

 struck by the resemblance exhibited in the different 

 parts or organs of one and the same plant, and searched 

 for the type or plan on which they were modelled. He 

 introduced into the vocabulary of scientific language 

 the expression " metamorphosis of plants." It was 35. 

 Goethe the poet who, in 1790, published under this metamor- 



pilosis. 



title his first contribution to morphological science. In 

 subsequent publications and essays, covering the last forty 



1 " Theorie dlementaire," p. 195. 



2 Ibid. Mbid., p. 230. 

 ■• " Linu^ a le premier, avee sa 



est tellement juste, tellement 

 fcconde en consequences utiles, 

 qu'il est pent - etre convenable 



sagacit(5 ordinaire, compard le r^gne d'entrer dans quelques ddtails 



vegdtiil a une carte geographique ; ultdrieurs. Je suppose pour un 



cette inetaphore, indiquee dans son moment cette carte executce ; les 



livre i)ar un seul mot, a etc dd- classes r(5pondent aux parties du 



veloppeeensuitepar Giseke, Batscli, monde, les families aux royaumes, 



Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, L'Hdr- 1 les tribus aux provinces, les genres 



itier, Petit - Tliouars, &c. Et aux cantons et les espdces aux 



quoi qu'on ne doive la prendre que 1 villes ou villages," &c. (Thdor. 



pour une simple image, cette image | diem., p. 231). 



