22 MARVELS OF PO^'D-LIFE. 



higher plants. The Diatoms are still more common, 

 and we see before us in our water-drop, some of 

 their simplest representatives in the form of minute 

 boats made of silica (Hint,) and moved by means 

 wdiich no one can explain. 



Leaving out the Desmids and Diatoms, we have 

 said that in Pritchard's arrangement the views of 

 those writers are adopted who divide the rest of 

 the infusoria into four groups, distinguished witli 

 foreign long-tailed names, which we will translate 

 and expound. First come the Phytozoa^ under 

 which we recognise our old acquaintance zoophyte 

 turned upside down. Zoophytes mean animal-plants, 

 Phytozoa mean plant-animals. We shall have by- 

 and-bye to speak of some of the members of this 

 artificial and unsatisfactory group, and postpone to 

 that time a learned disquisition on the difference 

 between animals and plants, a difference observable 

 enough if we compare a hippopotamus with a cab- 

 bage, but which ''grows small by degrees, and 

 beautifully less," as we contemplate lower forms. 



After the Phytozoa come tlie Protozoa^ or first 

 forms in wdiich animality is distinctly recognised. 

 Under this term are assembled creatures of very 

 various organization, from the extreme simplicity of 

 the Proteus or Am.ceba, a little lump of jelly, that 

 moves by thrusting out portions of its body, so 

 as to make a sort of extempore legs, and in which 



