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CHAPTER VIII. 



GENERAL REFLECTIONS ON" THE SYNTHETICAL 



METHOD. 



In the first Chapter of this Essay, it is stated to be my 

 firm beUef, that one plan extends throughout the universe, 

 and that this plan is founded on the principle of series of 

 affinities returning into themselves, and forming as it were 

 circles. The time is at length arrived, when the reader 

 has the means of deciding whether this presumption was 

 warranted by facts, or whether it ought to be considered 

 as the mere offspring of an ardent imagination under the 

 bias of a favourite theory. 



In the first part of this volume, I discovered by analysis 

 three instances of progressions of affinity returning into 

 themselves ; namely, in the circles of Saprophagous and 

 Thalerophagous Pe^fl/ocerrt, and of Thalerophagous Recto- 

 cera. Still more minute analysis enabled me to perceive 

 the same rule of progression in the genus Phancaus, which 

 is so singularly characterized by the want of ungues to the 

 tarsi. 



In the present essay, on the other hand, the opposite me- 

 thod has been adopted ; and while we make use almost 

 entirely of the observations of others, the same effect is 

 uniformly seen to be produced. A degree of order, unity 

 and harmony appears to prevail throughout a great portion 



