174- HISTORY OF 



must not be concealed, however, that much has 

 of late been written on this part of natural history. 

 A new mode of animal production could not fail 

 of exciting not only the curiosity, but the astonish- 

 ment of every philosopher : many found their fa- 

 vourite systems totally overthrown by the disco- 

 very; and it was not without a wordy struggle 

 that they gave up what had formerly been their 

 pleasure and their pride. At last, however, con- 

 viction became too strong for argument; and a 

 question which owed its general spread rather to 

 its novelty than to its importance, was given up 

 in favour of the new discovery. 



CHAPTER II. 



OF WORMS. 



THE first in the class of zoophytes are animals of 

 the Worm kind, which being entirely destitute 

 of feet, trail themselves along upon the ground, 

 and find themselves a retreat under the earth, or 

 in the water. As these, like serpents, have a 

 creeping motion, so both, in general, go under 

 the common appellation of reptiles ; a loath- 

 some, noxious, malignant tribe, to which man by 

 nature, as well as by religion, has the strongest 

 antipathy. But though worms, as well as ser- 

 pents, are mostly without feet, and have been 

 doomed to creep along the earth on their bellies, 



