linNjEus. 261 



aphorisms, in imitation of the different divisions 

 of the year, — a puerile conceit, with which his ene- 

 mies have not failed to taunt the illustrious author. 

 Had there been a hundred days more he might 

 have found aphorisms for them all ; and any one 

 conversant with zoology might engage to construct 

 a classification of animals on the very same prin- 

 ciple. Since he was so attached to numerical ana- 

 logies, it is surprising that he did not form 12 classes 

 of plants, 52 orders, 365 families, and a number 

 of genera corresponding to that of the hours in a year. 

 On such an arrangement might, with due calcula- 

 tion, have been founded a system of botany as per- 

 fect as any that had appeared before his time. The 

 distribution of his materials, however, is the only 

 childish part of the book ; for in other respects it 

 must be acknowledged to be a model of perspicuity, 

 precision, and force. 



The first chapter gives an account of the principal 

 writers on botany ; the second, of systems of classi- 

 fication ; the third, of the roots, stems, and leaves 

 of plants ; the fourth, of the parts of fructification. 

 In the remaining chapters are discussed the doctrine 

 of sexes, the characters of the classes and subdivi- 

 sions, the names of the genera, the specific differ- 

 ences, varieties, synonymes, the descriptions of the 

 species, and the virtues or uses. At the end of the 

 volume are several curious fragments, containing 

 directions to students of botanj^, the method of 

 forming herbariums, a plan to be followed by na- 

 turalists in travelling, and other matters of a like 

 nature. 



" The Genera Plantarum," says Linnaeus in his 

 private memoirs, " the most important of all the 



