WATER AS A DRINK. 43 



economy. Nevertheless, no substance passes directly from the 

 mineral kingdom to enter into the constitution of any part of 

 the animal body. The vegetable kingdom belongs to organic 

 nature as well as the animal kingdom. The organic substance 

 of the vegetable kingdom is as absolutely of mineral origin as 

 the material of animal bodies. Water, carbonic acid, ammonia- 

 cal gas, and a few saline matters existing in the soil of the 

 earth, are converted in vegetation into the organic parts of 

 plants. Thus all the organic material of the vegetable king- 

 dom is derived directly from purely mineral substances. The 

 vegetable kingdom has the prerogative of metamorphosing into 

 its own fabric the constituents of the mineral crust and aerial 

 envelope of the earth. The animal kingdom is, in this special 

 aspect, subordinate to the vegetable kingdom. The vegetative 

 power of the animal kingdom has less of a creative character 

 than what belongs to vegetable nature. The animal kingdom 

 rests exclusively on the vegetable kingdom for its support and 

 maintenance. All the various shapes of the food of animals 

 are ultimately derived from vegetable nature. Were the vege- 

 table kingdom to perish, the animal kingdom would quickly 

 run to ruin. For though many animals are purely carnivorous, 

 their prey could not long survive the extinction of vegetable 

 nature. On the contrary, were the animal kingdom to perish, 

 the vegetable kingdom would not indeed escape damage ; yet, 

 as a whole, it would flourish more prosperously than ever. 



Though water is a principal part of the food of plants, it is 

 not enumerated among the aliments of animals. It constitutes 

 the drink of animals. This may seem, at first sight, a distinc- 

 tion without a difference. But it is not really so. It is not 

 customary to speak of the drink of plants ; nevertheless, plants 

 drink very largely, and the drink they take in serves some of 

 the very same uses to which the drink of animals is applied. 

 Plants during the period of vegetation continually take in 



