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certain point, by the known laws of those forces. But in 

 every case, after referring all the chemical and physical 

 phenomena to their respective places, there remains a residual 

 phenomenon to be accounted for, which is precisely the most 

 important of all, — namely, that in living organic structures 

 . . . the laws of inorganic matter are subdued under a higher 

 influence, and caused to undergo modifications never occur- 

 ring except in the presence of living matter , while — most 

 important of all — the peculiar compounds of matter thus 

 produced are not only made to assume forms, according to 

 definite laws, totally unlike any forms of mineral matter, but 

 [to] constitute bodies manifesting a continued interchange of 

 material with the surrounding media, which, instead of re- 

 sulting in decomposition, as in mineral bodies, effects a repro- 

 duction and increase of the already existing [organized] 

 matter"— (p. 542). 



In the paragraph on the longevity of trees (p. 549), we 

 find renewed occasion to notice the longevity of unfounded 

 statements, copied from one book into another long after the 

 error has been pointed out. Here again the Adansonia of 

 Senegal and the Wellingtonia or Sequoia of California figure 

 as trees " whose age, deduced from the rings of growth of 

 the stems, would amount to upwards of 3000 years." There 

 is really no evidence to prove that the famous Baobabs de- 

 scribed by Adanson are of such an age ; and as to the Wel- 

 lingtonia in question, an actual counting of the rings has 

 shown that the tree was not half so old as it was vaguely 

 computed to be. 



The chapter on Reproduction appears to be excellent, as 

 indeed we should expect. The geographical and geological 

 part is necessarily very briefly treated. 



