How then? The baleen, hump, back-fin, and teeth; these are things whose peculiarities are indiscriminately dispersed among all sorts of whales, without any regard to what may be the nature of their structure in other and more essential particulars. Thus, the sperm whale and the humpbacked whale, each has a hump; but there the similitude ceases. Then this same humpbacked whale and the Greenland whale, each of these has baleen; but there again the similitude ceases. And it is just the same with the other parts above mentioned. In various sorts of whales, they form such irregular combinations; or, in the case of any one of them detached, such an irregular isolation; as utterly to defy all general methodization formed upon such a basis. On this rock every one of the whale-naturalists has split.
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, is there in the Greenland whale's anatomy more striking than his baleen? Yet we have seen that by his baleen it is impossible correctly to classify the Greenland whale. And if you descend into the bowels of the various leviathans, why there you will not find distinctions a fiftieth part as available to the systematizer as those external ones already enumerated. What then remains? nothing but to take hold of the whales bodily, in their entire liberal volume, and boldly sort them that way. And this is the Bibliographical system here adopted; and it is the only 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。