TRANSFERENCE OF SYSTEM TO THE GROUND. 249 



ri^ht and left of it the two orders in main affinity, while 

 two in weaker affinity are placed over and under it at 

 right angles. We have thns a star, composed of a nucleus 

 and four rays, and it is probable that it would be easy, 

 in some cases, to multiply the rays considerably. Some- 

 thing of this kind ought to be adopted on the ground ; 

 but it is not difficult to perceive that the stellar arrange- 

 ment, if attempted to be strictly carried out in practice, 

 would lead to great complication of figure, and, from the 

 interlacing of affinities, might produce inextricable con- 

 fasion. The orders, then, must be formed into minor 

 groups or masses of varying form and size, according 

 to their extent, — some genera will require a considerable 

 group for themselves, — and these subordinate members 

 must be combined and co-ordinated in conformity with 

 the principles of the alHance of which they form parts. 

 Only the main relations can be taken into account and 

 the combination should aj)proach that of a map, accord- 

 ing to the old illustration, suggested, we believe, by 

 Linnseus himself. Let the reader take a coloured map of 

 England, and select one of the midland counties — such 

 as Leicestershire, — he will find six other counties conter- 

 minous with it, and bounding it by frontier lines of 

 varying form and length. Nothing can afibrd a better 

 image of an order or alliance of orders, in the Natural 

 System, as represented on the ground. Of course, v/hen 

 planted, the boundaries of the respective genera or orders 

 must not be in actual contact. They should be sepa- 

 rated, not by a dotted line as in maps, not by a narrow 

 grass verge as in some gardens, but by lawns of a suffi- 

 cient breadth to allow the distinctive characters of the 

 groups to be perceptible. The distance or proximity of 

 the groups— in other words, the breadths of the lairas — 



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