22 THE LEWIS BROOKS MUSEUM. 



well suited to serve as the representative of Natural History. 

 Regarding it as occupying this position, I shall select from 

 its data the materials which may serve to exemplify the 

 value and interest of the teachings of nature. We must 

 first, however, fix the position and relations of Natural 

 History. 



Natural History, as it is generally limited, covers but 

 a portion of the vast field of Natural Science. I use the 

 word in its more comprehensive sense, not as a synonym of 

 Zoology, but as including the three descriptive sciences, ' 

 Botany, Zoology and Mineralogy, as well as the general 

 science of Geology. Chemistry and Physics are branches 

 of Natural Science, which are not included in Natural His- 

 tory. However, as these last two sciences furnish us with 

 the general laws of nature, which find their expression and 

 embodiment in the objects with whicli the branches of Na- 

 tural History deal, it follows that the study of Natural His- 

 tory must embrace them also. 



As Natural History is, in large part, an application of 

 the general laws of nature, we find that until Chemistry 

 and Physics had made such progress as to present a well 

 digested body of laws, it could not exist as a science. 



Any branch of Natural History which can claim the 

 dignity of a Science must present us with the explanation 

 of the origin of natural objects ; make known to us the con- 

 ditions of their existence, as well as the nature and cause of 

 their peculiarities. Without the use of chemical and phy- 

 sical laws, a would-be science of natural objects presents 

 the character of peculiarities only as determined by morpho- 

 logical properties, such as color, shape, etc. When Chem- 

 istry and physics were in process of formation the branches 

 of Natural History could be nothing but descriptive cata- 

 logues, since the basis of essential characteristics was want-^ 

 ing. 



From this we see that there must be a certain order in 

 tbe development of the departments of Natural Science — 

 some must precede and some follow. This accounts for the 



