162 



veral parts of which seem to imitate the corresponding 

 ones in great animals; but whereas among the latter 

 the flesh covers the bones ; on the contrary, among in- 

 sects the bone covers the flesh. In this numerous class 

 of little animals, nature has in an especial manner 

 diversified her models the most, and displayed the 

 wonderful fecundity of her inventions. In the large 

 parts of the animal kingdom she pretty nearly pursues 

 the same plan o( architecture, and hardly diversifies any 

 thing but the orders. In one we beheld the strength 

 and majesty of the Tuscan', in ethers the elegance and 

 delicacy of the Corinthian. But when she descends to 

 insects, she seems entirely to change her plan, and to 

 retain as little as possible of her first models. She 

 seems at length to abandon them altogether in her 

 formation of an arm or ^//-polypus. She constructs 

 plants on still different models; but these models retain 

 in them something of the organization of animals, and 

 particularly that of insects. The organs of respira- 

 tion are almost _the same in the plant and insect. 

 Those parts which are essential to life are dispersed 

 throughout the whole body of the plant, as they 

 are in insects, that are reproduced by slips. Those 

 plants which appear to be most elevated in the scale, ex- 

 hibit to us a stalk, branches, roots, leaves, flowers, ami 

 fruit. A swine-bread, ai> agaric, a liver-wort, OB the con- 

 trary, are so extremely disguised, and have in them so 

 small a resemblance to plants, that it is necessary to have 

 the eye of a strict observer, in order to know and charac- 

 terize them. These half vegetable productions, if I may 

 be allowed the phrase, seem, in the vegetable kingdom 

 to be what the gall-insect, polypus, and the muscles are 

 in the animal. They do not appear to be more organized 

 than an amianthus, a talc, or a crystal. 



IS. The distance however is much greater from 

 the most regular fossil, or that most resembling a vege- 

 table, to the plant in the least degree so, or that is the 

 least organized. The fossil does not grow, properly 

 speaking : it does not receive nourishment, nor engender. 



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