AND NOMENCLATORS. XXXI 



form found in living creatures, and to fix those terms 

 with such precision that their use should never be am- 

 biguous ; he had to review all the creatures described by 

 previous authors and amassed in their collections, to 

 give them short convenient names (analogous to our 

 Christian and surnames), describe them in the termi- 

 nology he had invented, and arrange them upon the 

 method he had adopted. The first outline of this enor- 

 mous enterprise was given to the world in the " Systema 

 Naturae/' published at Leyden in 1735. In this first 

 edition, the mineral kingdom was divided into Petrse 

 and Fossilia, the former division including Salia, Com- 

 bustibilia, and Met all a ; the latter including Petrificata, 

 Concreta, and Terrae. The vegetable kingdom was divided 

 in accordance with the method since so celebrated as the 

 Sexual System, founded upon the relative position, the 

 proportion, the connexion or distinction, and the number, 

 of the stamens and pistils. The animal kingdom, which 

 came last, was divided into Quadrupeda, Aves, Reptilia, 

 Pisces, Insecta, and Vermes; the Cetacea were placed 

 among the Fishes. The genera of animals were charac- 

 terized, but the species were simply named ; in the vege- 

 table kingdom, only the names of the genera were given. 

 This comprehensive sketch of the whole domain of Na- 

 tural History excited general astonishment, and procured 

 for its author considerable respect ; thenceforward Linne 

 worked steadily and constantly to perfect and extend his 

 plan, assigning by degrees names and descriptions to all 

 the genera and all the species with which he was ac- 

 quainted. Twelve editions of the " Systema Naturae" were 

 published during his life- time ; but most of these were 

 only reprints ; those in which new matter was introduced 

 are the 2nd in 1740, the 6th in 1748, the 10th in 1757, 

 and the 12th in 1766, all published at Stockholm. The 

 original work was printed on twelve folio pages ; Gmelin's 

 edition of 1 788 is in fourteen 8vo volumes. The botani- 

 cal part of the Syst. Nat. was developed in many inde- 

 pendent works. In 1736 were published the "Hortus 

 Clifibrtianus " and the " Fundamenta Botanica ;" in 173 7, 

 the "Critica Botanica/' " Genera Plantarum," and "Flora 

 Lapponica ;" in 1738, " Classes Plantarum /' in 1751, the 

 "Philosophia Botanica/' and " Species Plantarum" in 

 1753, to which several Supplements followed. It is in 

 Botany that Linne gained most success and the greatest 

 glory : his nomenclature and terminology were promptly 

 adopted, and to this day remain in full force ; but the 



