LINN-aSUS. 289 



cesses resembling flowers, and springing from a vegetating 

 stem. This order contains 15 genera, among which are 

 the red coral, the sea-fan, the sponge, coralhne, &c. The 

 number of species is 156. 



The characters of the genera and species of these 

 orders are derived from so many various circum- 

 stances, that it would be tedious to recapitulate 

 them. The number of objects defined in this part 

 of the Systema Naturae, is as follows : — 



Mammalia, 219 



Birds, 930 



Amphibia, 292 



Fishes, 400 



Insects, 2984 



Vermes, 1163 



Species from the 

 Appendices,... 140 



In all, 6128 species of animals. 



It may be observed with respect to the method 

 followed by Linnaeus in his arrangements, that he 

 has generally chosen the most simple and perspicu- 

 ous that he could devise. The whole creation he dis- 

 poses into three kingdoms, the animal, the vegetable^ 

 and the mineral. The animal kingdom is divided in- 

 to six great classes, characterized by various circum- 

 stances of their organization. Each of these six classes 

 is divided into several orders and nurnQYOus genera ; 

 and the genera are composed of species. Sometimes 

 the species exhibits varieties, or variations of form, 

 colour, and other qualities, dependent upon cli- 

 mate, food, domestication, and other circumstances. 

 There are thus in his arrangement of animals five 

 gradations : kingdom, class, order, genus, and spe- 

 cies. We shall find that the same series is adopt- 

 ed in his classification of the vegetable kingdom. 

 It must be remarked^ hovyever^ that in nature none 



s 



