252 OK THE CLASSES OF THE 



par leur position tnutuelle, par V ensemble de la configura- 

 tion, et rien de tout cela n'existe de mime dans nos Cepha- 

 lopodes. En un mot; nous voyons ici, quoiqu'en aient 

 dit Bonnet et ses sectateurs, la Nature passer d'un plan a 

 mi autre, faire un saut, laisser enlre ses productions un 

 hiatus manifeste; ks Ccphalopodes ne sont sur le passage 

 de rien; Us ne sont resultts du developpemetit d'autres 

 animaux, et leur propre developpement n'a rien produit 

 de suptrieur a eux." We thus have three different pro- 

 positions clearly laid down, to the two first of which there 

 cannot be the least objection, namely, that the Cephalo- 

 poda evidently connect the Mollusca and Vertebrata to- 

 gether, and secondly, that they have no affinity whatso- 

 ever with the fishes. But though both these positions are 

 perfectly sound, I suspect the reasoning to be not so much 

 so, which, in the consideration of natural affinities, would 

 lay any stress on particular exceptions from a general con- 

 nexion. We even find that M. Cuvier himself has placed 

 both the Brachiopoda and Cephalopoda among the Mol- 

 lusca, although the former have two aortic hearts only, and 

 the latter group possesses one with two pulmonary. If 

 therefore no conclusion could be obtained from the con- 

 struction of the organs of circulation in one case, and he 

 thought proper to disregard it, it is not easy to perceive 

 why he should have paid such an absolute deference to 

 it in another. If fallible in the group of Mollusca, the 

 probability is that it may also be the cause of error in 

 the Cephalopoda. On examining the genus Clio we find 

 neither shell nor pulmonary hearts, while the arms, though 

 surrounding the mouth, are observed by no means to be 

 of a construction similar to those of the Sepiee. Yet are 

 we therefore to conclude that there is no affinity between 



