LAMARCK. 



173 



Une colonne vertdbrale, faisant la base d'un 

 squelette articule". 



Point de colonne verte*brale ; point de veritable 

 squelette. 



TABLEAU DU REGNE ANIMAL (1802). 



MONTRANT LA DEGRADATION PROGRESSIVE DES ORGANES SPECIAUX 

 JUSQU'A LEUR ANEANTISSEMENT. 



Nota. La progression de la degradation n'est nulle part rdguliere 

 ou proportionnelle ; mais elle existe dans 1'ensemble d'une maniere 

 eVidente. 



1. Les Mammaux 



2. Les Oiseaux 



3. Les Reptiles 



4. Les Poissons 



5. Les Mollusques 



6. Les Annelides 



7. Les Crustace's 



8. Les Arachnides 



9. Les Insectes 



10. Les Vers 



11. Les Radiaires 



12. Les Polypes 



In 1802 he expressly speaks of the shaded grada- 

 tion in the complication of organization, not as a 

 lineal series of species, or even of genera, for he 

 says such a series does not exist. But, " I speak of 

 a series quite regularly gradated in its principal 

 masses ; that is to say, in the principal known 

 systems of organization. Such a series in this case 

 certainly offers lateral ramifications in many direc- 

 tions, the extremities of which are truly isolated 

 points." This early conception of Lamarck's may 

 be compared to a fir-tree with a single central stem 

 and radiating branches. He says, " that such a 



