182 ANIMALS KILLED IV, 
life, though fufpended, is preferved, and appears 
on humectation. a 
I can difcover no greater fimplicity in the tre- 
mella and noftoc than in many plants that do 
not revive. Let us throw a hafty glance on the 
truffle. What vegetable is more fimple? No 
roots, tendrils, or fibres, internal or external; a 
fubftance equally compact and uniform through- 
out, only interrupted by veins fimilar to thofe 
-winding on fome {pecies of marble. It has no 
analogous organization with other plants, either 
terreftrial or aquatic; yet truffles, after once dry- 
ing in the air, do not revive if put in water. 
Thefe united facts prove the fallacy of thofe opi- 
nions which attribute the refurre€tion of animals to 
the fimplicity of their organization. But to what 
other principle can we recur? for we are here 
con{trained to proceed on conjecture rather than 
evidence and the view of truth, I fhall fuggeft 
an hypothefis without engaging to fupport it. 
Haller’s experiments demonttrate, that the vital 
principle of animals with a heart originally re- 
fides in the irritability of this mufcle. His ex- 
periments are too well known to need repetition. 
In animals which have no heart, it is more than 
probable that the principle of life refides in the 
irritability of their muicles. ‘This being admit- 
ted, if the ftate of the animals is fuch that the ir- 
yitable nature of the heart and mufcles is de, 
ftroyeq, 
