NATURAL 
did fo fignify; and its legal fignification, therefore, was 
governed by the accompanying epithet. When that pe¬ 
riod was, is by no means fettled, but is an objedl very 
worthy of inquiry: Gent. Mag. 1B16. Part I. p. 579, 80. 
NATURAL HISTORY, or the History of Nature, 
is a defcription of all natural bodies whatever; whether 
terreftrial, as animals, vegetables, folfils, fire, water, air, 
&c. or celeftial, as the ftars, planets, comets, &c. In this 
enlarged fenfe, natural hillory is much the fame with what 
we othervvife call phyjiology. 
Natural History, however, in its common and more 
convenient acceptation, is confined to a defcription and 
inquiry into the nature of thofe natural products which 
are more immediately within our reach j~ as man, hearts, 
birds, fillies, infedts, worms, plants, metals,minerals, &c. 
Other particulars of the hillory of nature are included 
under the articles Astronomy, Geography, and 
Chemistry. 
When we take a general furvey of the objects with 
which we are furrounded, we are bewildered amidft the 
number and variety that are every-where prefented to our 
view. The air, the woods, the fields, the waters, teem 
with myriads of animals 5 a large proportion of the earth’s 
furfaee is covered with a green mantle of luxuriant herb¬ 
age, interfperfed with plants and flowers of a thoufand 
varied tints; and, when we fearch below this, when we 
explore the cloud-capt mountain, the gloomy mine, the 
lequeftered cavern, or the rocky cliff, we dil'covera great 
variety of mineral fubltances, either piled into irregular 
mafles, or lying in uniform beds or layers, difpofed in 
veins orfeams, or fcattered at random through the other 
-Ilony matters. 
To the cafual obferver, the number and variety ofthefe 
objedls would appear almoft infinite. He would confider 
it equally impolfible to enumerate them as to number the 
ftars, or count the lands on the fea-lhore. This idea, 
however, arifes from his feeing them in confufion and 
diforder. The naturalift, by feparating them into thofe 
groups or dalles in which they often naturally prefent 
themlelves, has fucceeded not only in diftinguifhing the 
feveral kinds from each other, but even in guefling pretty 
accurately at the number of fpecies that have hitherto 
been difcovered. 
The number of natural produdlions being confeffedly 
very great, it is neceffary to find out fome means of dif- 
tinguilhing them from each other, and of recognizing 
them on feeing them anew. Thefe means are the pecu¬ 
liarities, or the affemblages of peculiarities, that exclu- 
fively belong to each body. Now, there is fcarcely any 
lubftance that has a Ample cliaradter, that is, which can 
be dillinguifhed from every other fubftance by any one of 
its properties fingly. It is only by the combination of 
feveral of thefe properties that we can diftinguifh an ob- 
jed from others which refemble it in poffefling fome one 
or more of thofe very properties; and the more numerous 
the fpecies we compare, the more neceflary it becomes to 
bring their properties together, in order to aflign to each 
a charader that may diftinguifh it from the reft. Hence, 
to diftinguifh a fpecies,coniidered independently from all 
others that exift in nature, it is neceflary to exprefs in its 
charader almoft the wdiole of its properties; and, the more 
of thefe we take into the charader, the more complete will 
be our defcription of the objed. But no man can acquire 
a fufticiently accurate knowledge of all natural objeds to 
enable him to give a complete defcription of them : hu¬ 
man life is too fhort to admit of the completion of fuch 
a talk. All that can be expeded from our limited facul¬ 
ties is to acquire a general knowledge of natural objeds, 
confining our principal attention to fuch as poffefs fome 
linking qualities, or appear convertible to the ufeful pur- 
poles of life. 
To gain this end, two modes of procedure have been 
adopted by naturalifts. According to the firft mode, we 
employ charaders that proceed by degrees from particu¬ 
lars to generals. We begin by comparing togctheracer- 
V6L. XVI. No. 1138. 
II I S T O R Y. 51)7 
tain number of fpecies that bear the neareft relation to 
each other. In drawing the charaders of thefe fpecies, 
it is requifite to exprefs only thofe differences which, 
on a fuppofition that they are the mod nearly related, 
form but a fmall part of their properties; a number of 
fpecies thus brought together conftitutes what is called a 
genus, or tribe. 
The remainder of thefe properties, which are common 
to all the fpecies of the genus, combine to form the cha¬ 
rader, or rather the defcription, of the genus, diftin¬ 
guifhing it from all thofe which might be formed by 
bringing together other fpecies; but the number of thefe 
common properties being ltiil very confiderable, we repeat 
the fame means in order to reduce the charaders of the 
genera to fmaller terms. We compare together only thofe 
genera which mod nearly refemble each other, and the 
generic charaders now employed mull only exprefs thefe 
differences which form but a fmall part of their common 
properties. Thofe properties, which are common to all 
the genera, compofe a charader that diftinguilhes this 
affemblage or group from all other groups orgenera. Such 
an hftetnblage of genera is called an order. 
Repeating the lame operation, and bringing together 
fuch orders as are moll nearly allied, we form a more ge¬ 
neral affemblage, called a clajs-, and again, uniting a cer¬ 
tain number of claffes,weform a higher divifion, to which 
naturalifts have given the name of kingdom. This chain of 
divilions, in which the higher links comprehend the 
lower, forms what is called a method. The other mode 
of procedure is to rife gradually from generals to parti¬ 
culars, beginning with the flighteft and molt obvious 
differences, thus forming the firft divifion or kingdom ; 
dividing each kingdom into claffes, each clafs into orders, 
each order into genera, each genus into fpecies, and each 
fpecies into varieties. This defeending leries conftitutes 
what is called a system, and is that which has been ge¬ 
nerally adopted by naturalifts. 
To illuftrate this lyftematical claflification of natural 
objects, let us feledl a familiar example. Among the va¬ 
rious creatures that pafs under our obfervation, a great 
number are poffefled of life, of lenfation, and voluntary 
motion ; thefe we call animals, and of thefe we form the 
animal kingdom. On examining various groups of ani¬ 
mals, we find that many have four extremities, and fuclde 
their young by means of teats ; thefe we call quadrupeds, 
or mammalia. We have thus formed a clajs of animals. 
Again we find that of the mammalia fome have hoofed 
feet and blunt fore-teeth, and feed almoft entirely on ve¬ 
getables : thele will conftitute aa order of the clafs of 
mammalia, to which Linnaeus has given the name of 
lelluce. Of this order a certain number of animals agree 
in having fix fore-teeth in both jaws, and form a genus, 
or tribe, diftinguiflied by this particular from the other 
animals of the lame order, and commonly called the horfe 
tribe, or equus genus. Lallly, in this tribe we find one 
Jpecies that has folid hoofs, a tail brillly at the end, an 
upright mane, and a black crofs on the ihoulder of the 
male : this fpecies is the common afs. 
The principal writers on natural hillory among the an¬ 
cients, whole writings have come down to us, are Ariftotle, 
Theopliraftus, and Pliny. Of the firft we may remark 
with Haller, that his writings on this fubjedt exhibit a 
continued chain of phyfical and anatomical fadts, which 
for the moll part appear to have been the refult of accu¬ 
rate obfervation. He relied lefs than any of the ancient 
naturalifts on uncertain and fabulous report; he induf- 
trioufly collected and examined natural bodies, and ap¬ 
pears to have liimfelf diffedled inany*animals, efpecially 
fiflies, or at leaft to have been preient at their difiedlion 
There are even to be found, in his writings references 
by letters to figures, which he employed to illuftrate his 
obfervations. 
Theophraftus wrote chiefly on the natural hillory of 
plants and foflils, on winds, and on fire. His works have 
been edited by Heinfius; but, except in plants, they do 
7 N not 
