£06 ON THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



show us that the works of the creation are not referable 

 to the human figure as a standard of perfection, but that 

 they ought to be appreciated according to the ingenuity 

 displayed in their organization, and the variety of effects 

 which may depend on it. 



Indeed it must be remarked by the most careless ob- 

 server, that many even of the vertebrated animals are far 

 inferior to insects, both in the possession of those faculties 

 by which we are accustomed to estimate the rank of the 

 Vertebrata among themselves, as well as in complication 

 of general structure. In proportion also as the organic 

 structure is simple, it has been observed that the body is 1 

 more capable of repairing, by reproduction, such parts as 

 may have been lost; a principle which if applied to lizards 

 and frogs, would evidently reduce them in the scale of 

 being below many insects. 



On the whole then it appears necessary, first, that the 

 affinity of the Mollusca to the Vertebrata, which is so ob- 

 vious in the Cephalopoda, should not be disturbed by any 

 intervening division ; secondly, that the annulose animals 

 should not be separated from the Gastrobranchus and other 

 cyclostomous fishes ; and above all, that they should not 

 be made subordinate in rank to such simple animals as 

 compose the greatest part of the Mollusca. Now these 

 conditions will all be fulfilled if the chain of nature be 

 viewed as returning into itself; whereas they will be com- 

 pletely violated if we account it to be a regular line or 

 ladder, commencing with the Infusoria and terminating 

 in man, or indeed if we adopt any opinion that has 

 hitherto been advanced on the subject by naturalists. 



Another novelty in the plan now proposed is the divi- 

 sion of the animal kingdom into five great groups instead 



