■•; SPHINX VESPIFORMIS. 45 



he will perceive the character, on which his attention has heeii fixed, 

 ramifying in all directions. Now no system, hitherto suggested, will 

 at all cope with this." — P. 10. 



From this, after assuming the existence of circular groups, 

 as proved, Mr. Newman proceeds to lay it down as a law of 

 nature, ^^hat each group is composed of seven minor ones ; 

 of which the central one contains types of all the surrounding 

 groups, and a seventh type peculiar to itself. 



In support of a septenary division, he appeals to Scripture, 

 (an appeal of which we cannot approve), to Cuvier, to Kirby, 

 and lastly to Linne, remarking, moreover— 



" Our own observation will speedily convince us, that most groups 

 of animals, with which we are tolerably well acquainted, are divisible 

 into seven. We shall never find the number greater ; and, when 

 less, we shall invariably perceive that the deficiency exists in groups, 

 of which our knowledge is particularly limited ; for the perfection 

 of a septenary distribution of any particular group will depend 

 entirely on our acquaintance with that group : thus the groups, at 

 present known by the names of Mammalia, Aves, and Insecta, re- 

 solve themselves instantly into sevens." — P. 15. 



We much wish that Mr. Newman had favoured us with a 

 sketch of the distribution of the two first-named groups, of both 

 which there has as yet been no arrangement given which comes 

 near to nature ; and we still doubt whether the present theory 

 will at all apply to them. However, wdth these we have 

 nothing to do here ; so we will return to the last groups, and 

 proceed at once to the diagram of Insecta. 



In this we find Neuroptera in the centre, connected with 

 the six other classes, as Mr. Newman calls them, as follows ; 

 to Lepidoptera, by Psyche in Neuroptera, and Tinea in 

 Lepidoptera; to Diptera by Cloeon on one hand, and Chi- 

 ronomus on the other ; Termes leads to the Hymenoptera by 

 Formica ; the approach to Coleoptera is by insecta incognita ; 

 to Orthoptera by Mantispa and Mantis; to Hemiptera by 

 Psocus and Aphis. That there may be insects which will 

 form the connecting link between Coleoptera and Neuroptera 

 we will not deny ; but, as yet, there is certainly none well 

 known. In some of the others he seems to have mistaken a 

 distinct analogy for an affinity; but this arises from what we 

 consider as the greatest error of the author, an utter disbelief 



