JUSSIEU'S SPECULATIONS. 137 



sponges, are the work of different "insects" peculiar 

 to each species of these marine productions, which 

 labour uniformly according to their nature, and as 

 the Supreme Being has ordered and determined. 



Jussieu, whose eyes had been opened to the real 

 nature of the zoophytic races by the arguments of 

 Peyssonnel, although, truth to say, he seems to have 

 been convinced sorely against his will, at last declared 

 his complete faith in the animality of these creatures, 

 and his conviction that a numerous list of productions, 

 hitherto unexamined, would be found to be of the 

 same nature ; in fact, he seems to have revelled in the 

 enjoyment of the prospect thus revealed before him. 

 " All that we have said," he thus concludes, ' ' of the 

 polyps of the sea is merely a sort of advertisement, 

 which, however, cannot fail to produce the effect 

 which we promise ourselves from it ; it will doubtless 

 direct the curiosity of naturalists who reside by the 

 sea to animals so worthy of being better known. They 

 will seek out different species; they will delight to 

 describe to us the varieties presented in their forms, 

 which are never but remarkable ; they will study the 

 figure and disposition of the cells of various species, 

 their manner of growth and reproduction, and where- 

 withal they are nourished ; they will place in a clear 

 light everything that has reference to the different 

 polypidoms and their formation, so that a department 

 of natural history so interesting, so new, and as yet 

 only sketched in outline, may be rendered as perfect 

 as it merits to be." They will ; but here we must 

 fancy the enthusiastic old gentleman, in the exube- 

 rance of his delightful anticipations, flinging his hat 



