454 ON THE TRIBES 



at utter variance with nature and her affinities. Yet such 

 a system is nearly the same with that proposed by Swam- 

 merdam and Ray, who, after smoothing down its contra- 

 dictions as much as was really possible, left spiders and 

 worms in one group; Orthoptera, Hemiptera and certain 

 ISIeuroptera'm another; and Lepidoptera and Coleoptera'm 

 a third. On looking at such a scheme, I think we cannot 

 wonder much at naturalists rejecting it, both as an arti- 

 ficial and a natural method of entomological arrangement. 

 Whether they have been equally right in rejecting along 

 with it Metamorphosis itself as a principle of distribution, 

 is quite another matter, and will depend on the opinion of 

 the scientific world, as to <he accuracy of those authorities 

 I have cited, in order to establish my details of affinity. 

 Grant that only one fourth part of these authorities may 

 happen to be in the right, then it must be further allowed, 

 that a classification of insects in admirable harmony with 

 nature may be constructed on Metamorphosis, not indeed 

 on its division or differences, but on its method of varia- 

 tion. And this perhaps may be held to be the compend 

 of a Philosophia Organica, — that it is an error to con- 

 found the distribution of the works of our Creator with 

 our own method of dividing a subject into heads for the 

 sake of perspicuity. In other words, I imagine it to be 

 proved by the whole of the preceding chapters, that when 

 a system depends on the division of organs or properties, it 

 is artificial; when it depends on their method of variation, 

 it is natural. This truth, which seems not without its use 

 even in metaphysics, I had a great wish to place among 

 my definitions, but was deterred by feeling that it is too con- 

 trary to certain old established maxims to pass at first sight 

 unquestioned. 



