How then? The baleen, hump, back-fin, and teeth;these are things whose peculiarities areindiscriminately dispersed among all sorts ofwhales, without any regard to what may be thenature of their structure in other and more essentialparticulars. Thus, the sperm whale and thehumpbacked whale, each has a hump; but there thesimilitude ceases. Then this same humpbackedwhale and the Greenland whale, each of these hasbaleen; but there again the similitude ceases. And itis just the same with the other parts abovementioned. In various sorts of whales, they form such irregular combinations; or, in the case ofany one of them detached, such an irregular isolation; as utterly to defy all generalmethodization formed upon such a basis. On this rock every one of the whale-naturalists hassplit.

那么,这又怎样呢?鲸须,背峰,脊鳍和牙齿;这些特征,不管究竟具有多少其它更主要的特点和结构的特质,都是各种鲸类所具有的。一无差别的东西。因此,抹香鲸和座头鲸虽都各有背峰;但是,它们的类似之处也仅此而已。再说,这种座头鲸和格陵兰鲸也都各有鲸须;然而,它们之间的类似之处,又是只此而已。至于以上所提到的其它部分也是如此。在各种各样的鲸类中,它们就有这么不规则的混同;或者有时其中又有一种是与众不同的,形成非常不规则的独树一帜。好象是完全不顾一切由这样一种根据而形成的一般分类法似的。这种情形是每个研究鲸的博物学家都要大碰其壁的。

But it may possibly be conceived that, in the internal parts of the whale, in his anatomy--there, at least, we shall be able to hit the right classification. Nay; what thing, for example, isthere in the Greenland whale's anatomy more striking than his baleen? Yet we have seen thatby his baleen it is impossible correctly to classify the Greenland whale. And if you descendinto the bowels of the various leviathans, why there you will not find distinctions a fiftieth partas available to the systematizer as those external ones already enumerated. What thenremains? nothing but to take hold of the whales bodily, in their entire liberal volume, andboldly sort them that way. And this is the Bibliographical system here adopted; and it is theonly one that can possibly succeed, for it alone is practicable. To proceed.

不过,也许有人会认为,从鲸的内部,从鲸的解剖中,我们至少总能够摸出正确的类别来。不,比如说,在格陵兰鲸的解剖中,除了鲸须,还有什么更为显著的东西吗?而且,我们已经知道,光靠鲸须是不能够正确地对格陵兰鲸加以分类的。如果你跑到各种大海兽的肚皮里去,那么,你在那里头所找到的特征,还是不及那些已经列举出来的外部特征而能自成一系的东西的五十分之一。那又该怎么办呢?除了抓住鲸的身体,着眼于它们整个庞大的体积,大胆地按照这方法来分类以外,是别无它法可想的。这就是我这里所采用的书目提要的方法;也是可能获致成效的唯一方法,只有它才是切实可行的。再说下去吧。