874 THE TTATUEAL HISTOET EEYIEW. 



present task concerns the most recent of his publications, the title 

 of which is prefixed to the present article. 



Some objections may, doubtless, be raised to this mode of treat- 

 ing a subject in separate parts ; but it is one imposed upon us by 

 the necessities of the case, no less than by Mr. Spencer's method of 

 publication. Naturalists in general are so accustomed to think and 

 work inductively that it will be, if not absolutely novel, at least very 

 interesting, to see their subject handled deductively. Not that Mr. 

 Spencer proceeds wholly on the deductive plan, such a course would 

 be plainly impracticable ; the method he prefers as likely to conduce 

 to both brevity and clearness is " to establish each general truth em- 

 pirically, and then proceed to the rationale of it." 



The reader, indeed, in perusing this brochure will often be for- 

 cibly reminded of the famous ''camel" story, and will regret that the 

 author did not make more use of his observant faculties, and trust 

 less to his inner consciousness. Albeit everything that owes its 

 origin to Mr. Spencer's thought is well worthy perusal and reflection. 

 We shall, therefore, now attempt to lay before our readers an 

 analysis of the views held by this eminent thinker on Vegetable 

 Morphology, and shall add such comments as, in our judgment, we 

 may think desirable. Our task is not an easy one, for the style of 

 writing no less than the mode of thought manifested in this work, is 

 different from those in use among Naturalists generally. 



The plant is its own architect, and not only its own architect, 

 but it forms the materials for the edifice to be raised ; that edifice is 

 raised according to a certain plan, handed down from generation to 

 generation, and never entirely departed from, though continually 

 modified to meet varied, often conflicting, requirements. A li^dng 

 plant, then, it will be conceded, is made up of a number of units. 

 By the mere increase in number and aggregation of such units 

 the plant grows and increases in bulk, and not only in bulk but in 

 shape, so that its form is changed. The plant, in fact, grows and it 

 is developed. 



The Morphologist has thus to study the various ways in which 

 mere increase of bulk takes place, and must also inquire into the 

 shape of the organism as a whole ; he must ascertain how, and why, 

 it assumes that shape, how and why its shape differs from that of 

 allied organisms. Thus, at the very outset, is necessitated an in- 

 quiry into the nature of the component units, and an investigation 

 of the influences which cause those units to increase in one way 



