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— eo 
THE ORIGIN or GENERA.*-~In this essay the author does not consider 
that generic and Specific characters are identical. He pic animals into 
numerous series, Spsetto, eei an a so on, in which the lower members 
m th 

cific series. ‘The lo west or most generalized terms or genera of a number 
of allied series, will stand w each other in a relation of exact parallelism. 
That is, if we trace each seriesof a number, up to its lowest or most gener- 
ro. genus, the latter ligako will form a series similar in kind to each 
€ characters which define it as a iia Cases of exact parallelism 
spring flair d in advance of those possessed b redeces 
TO. pe here points out a parallel between tha er osmani of the 
individual and of the genus of great interest and nov ne or 
change would be ever approaching." “As the development of the in- 
nq so the development of the pem nus. We may add so the develop- 
of the whole of organized beings 
sorde ating that as a rule animals exhibit in course of supina cer- 
tain specific, before they do generic, characters, the author says: ‘‘ Apart 
rom any question of origin, so soon as a species should pee a new 
generic character, it ceases, of course, ü be specifically the sa as 
iris individuals which have not assumed it. If supposed poets 
in be, however, a test of specific difference, we shall then have to 
contend with the paradox of the sme species belonging to two different 
enera at one and the same time.” Several instances then are brought 
forward to prove the proposition “that the nearest it pacts of adjacent 
ra are more nearly allied in specific characters than the most diverse 
s 

Enae By Prof. E. D. Cope. Philadelphia. E 

