346 AN ESTIMATED TOTAL. 



But the Cryptogams, or Agams, such as heaths, mosses, 

 lichens, mushrooms, fungi, mould, and the like, of which our 

 knowledge, as yet, is very imperfect, are probably much more 

 numerous in species than the Phanerogams j for these vege- 

 tables, mostly microscopical, develop themselves wherever 

 life can manifest itself on the barren and denuded rocks, as 

 well as in the air and in the depths of the ocean. If we sup- 

 pose that they exceed only by 2000 the estimated number of 

 Phanerogams, we shall obtain a total of just half-a-million ! 



Such, in our opinion, is the number which approximatively 

 represents the lower limit of the aggregate of vegetable 

 species (phanerogamous and cryptogamous) inhabiting our 

 planet. The innumerable individuals of this half-million of 

 species are born, and live, and reproduce their kind, and die, 

 like the twelve hundred millions of individuals of our solitary 

 human species. The former, it is true, remain fixed to the 

 soil which has witnessed their birth, while the latter wander, 

 more or less freely over the terrestrial surface. Do not 

 animals enjoy the same privilege of locomotion? Un- 

 doubtedly. But men boast of the reason and the conscience 

 with which they are endowed. Agreed. But with the 

 exception of a small number the infinite minority of progress 

 to what advantage have men employed the reason and the 

 conscience of which they boast ? 



But this is a digression. We proceed to place before the 

 reader a few final data in illustration of the subject we have 

 been considering the number of existing vegetable species. 



