xlvi THE QUINARY SYSTEM. 
in tlieir regular succession, an analogy with the corresponding 
groups or orders of the contiguous classes of Zoology.”* * * § Lin- 
naeus himself, however, expressly records these very analogies 
claimed to be newly discovered. “ Accipitres,” says he, ana- 
logous to the Ferae; Picae, analogous to the Primates; Anseres, 
analogous to the Belluae ; Grallae, analogous to the Bruta. Gal- 
linae, analogous to the Pecora; Passeres, analogous to the Glires.”'|' 
It is worthy of remark, that when Dr. Virey shows that he had 
published similar views in 1803,:[: Mr. MacLeay not only as 
usual accuses him of not understanding the subject, but even 
compromises his own claim to the alleged discovery, by taking 
refuge, as may be seen in a preceding extract, in the indefinite 
term nature. \ 
I have above briefly stated some of my objections to what 
is called affinity^ and shall now come to analogy. In some 
points of view analogy is exceedingly valuable as a logical in- 
strument of investigation, of which we have a most beautiful 
example in the remark of Origen, that “ he who expects the 
scripture to have come from the Author of Nature, may well 
expect to find the same sort of difficulties in it as are found 
in Nature itself,” || so admirably developed by Bishop Butler in 
his ‘‘ Analogy of Religion.” But analogy is perhaps more liable 
to be abused than any other means of investigation, and in 
no department of human inquiry has the abuse of analogy oc- 
curred more glaringly than in some late speculations in natural 
history. It was remarked by Aristotle, f and repeated by 
Willis,** with regard to crabs and lobsters, that instead of the 
flesh covering the bones, the bones cover the flesh, Baron 
De Geer applied this fancy to insects ; ff and M. de Blainville 
Linn. Trans, vol. xiv. p. 399. 
f Kerr’s Linnaens, p. 416. “ Accipitres, Analogi Feris; Picae, Analogae Pri- 
matibus ; Anseres, Analogi Belluis ; Grallae, Analogae Brutis ; Gallinae, Analogae 
Pecoribus; Passeres, Analogi Gliribiis.” Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. edit. 12th. 
X Bulletin des Sciences Naturelles, for 1825 ; and Nouv. Diet. D’Hist. Nat. 
Art. Animal, 1st. edit. 
§ Zool. Journ. iv. p. 49. 
II Xpr? Toi ye tov 'dwa^. k. r. A. Origen, Pliilocal. p. 23, ed. Cantab. 
^ Uepi Zooojv laropias, A. ** De Aniuia Brutorum, p. 11 , edit. 1692. 
ft Memoires des Insectes, ii. 2, ed. 1771. 
