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Mi*. Blythes Commentary 
special passerine type of organization. Prof. Kaup’s views I 
would, on the contrary, stigmatize as unmitigated heresy, to be 
repudiated by every devout ornithologist. What is there but 
superficial resemblance as opposed to intrinsical conformity?—the 
identical principle which would include the Hyaena under Canidce 
instead of Viverridce, and would make a Squirrel of the Chinchilla, 
a Rodent of the Chiromys or of the Marsupial Wombat, or an 
ordinary Edentate of the Monotreme Echidna , which not only 
would consider Anguis to be an Ophidian, but would put the 
Salamanders in among the Lizards, the Cetaceans among Fishes, 
the Orthopterous Lepisma among Crustacea, the Crustaceous 
Barnacle among Shelled Mollusks, and the Ascaridce among the 
Red-blooded Annelides; which would make a Leech of a Planaria, 
and in botany would refer the tree ferns, the Cycadacece , and the 
pandanaceous Nipa to the order of palms ! Prof. Kaup^s op¬ 
ponents in this matter may perhaps be excused if they likewise 
venture to indulge in a little mild fanfaronnade. They cannot 
help recalling to mind that redoubtable popular group of “ shell¬ 
fish,” which comprehends Oysters and Snails (Whelks and Peri¬ 
winkles) and Lobsters, with Turtles and (may be) Armadillos, 
and the Ecliinidce of course,—this notable aggregation compri¬ 
sing alike forms of the Vertebrata y Annulosa , Mollusca , and Ra - 
diata . Scientific zoology discriminates between real and merely 
seeming and superficial distinguishing characters, fundamental 
affinity from its deceptive guise, mere adaptive modifications 
from the more comprehensive special bases of the organization, 
and the “mocking” of one group by members of another (which 
Bates and Wallace have shown to exist among the Butterflies), so 
many instances of which at once arise to the recollection. It is the 
business of the naturalist to disentangle all such intricacies, to 
go deeper than the surface, and try to find out what objects 
really are, and not what they only seem to be. Imbued with this 
idea, it appears to me that the association of the Swifts and 
Swallows in one family, or even immediately higher group, is 
about tantamount to subordinating the Shrews among the Mu- 
ridce —or the Tupayes among the Sciuridce —in the class of 
Mammalia. The Hirundinidce illustrate and exemplify, even to 
the minutest detail, the special passerine type of conformation. 
