AFFINITY. 77 



another tribe with which your children must be fami- 

 liar, wdthout calling science to their aid. They cer- 

 tainly have practical Botany enough to know a Melon, 

 and a Cucumber ; and, probably, also a Gourd, a Ve- 

 getable Marrow, and a Spirting Cucumber. Those 

 things form part of a small natural order called after 

 one of them, the Gourd Tribe, which is in near affi- 

 nity, as we say, with the Passion-flowers. Now% this 

 word affinity is one of the great practical difficulties 

 in the wav of the student of the Natural System of 

 Botany. Not that it need be made so ; for I have no 

 doubt I could have taken you to the end of our in- 

 tended journey, without saying a word to you about 

 the matter. But to understand it is essential to those 

 who would form a higher notion of Botany than what 

 can be gathered from the m^ere power of distinguish- 

 ing- one thirio- from another ; and if it could be com- 

 prehended, would form a great aid to you in your 

 future progress. I shall, therefore, take the present 

 opportunity of saying something about the way in 

 which the word is applied, in the hope that I may 

 make it clearer to you than it seems to be to many. 

 Nevertheless, if you do not understand me, you may 

 skip all that follows upon the subject. 



Affinity siffnifies resemblance in most characters 

 of importance. It diffiirs in degree just as resem- 

 blances between animals, which you can see and 

 understand more readily than those between plants. 

 Thus a monkey or baboon are very nearly related to 

 man, although totally distinct ; that is, they resem- 

 ble man in most characters of importance ; and 

 are therefore in affinity with him. Again, a cat and 



