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CHAPTER VII. 



ON THE TRIBES OF MANDIBULATA. 



In tracing Nature from the root into any of the ramifica- 

 tions, it may be expected that our comprehension of the 

 various objects which present themselves to the mind, 

 ought to become at once less difficult and more strong as 

 these diminish in number. In climbing this tree, 

 the firmest grasp is not at the broad trunk, but among 

 those slender branches where, in fact, we have the 

 least support. There are persons, therefore, who may 

 perchance think that in proportion as our scrutiny be- 

 comes gradually confined within narrower bounds, and 

 we come more particularly into the province of the 

 entomologist, there ought to be less doubt attached to 

 his positions and greater credit given to his arrangement 

 for accurate conformity with Nature. Nor could any ob- 

 jection be brought against this reasoning, if it were only 

 possible for the naturalist, in the prosecution of the plan 

 adopted for this inquiry, to proceed at once to the ana- 

 lysis of species and of artificial genera. But as we at 

 present are advancing towards our object synthetically, I 

 am under the necessity of warning those who may be in- 

 clined implicitly to follow me, when arrived on compara- 

 tively familiar ground, that they can scarcely indulge any 



