NATURAL HISTORY. 



SECTION I. 



THE science of Natural History is truly vast in its extent, 

 including all bodies found on the earth, or of which its mass is 

 composed. Its most general divisions are MINERALOGY, BOTANY 

 and ZOOLOGY. These divisions are founded upon the different 

 and distinguishing characters and states of the various objects 

 which they respectively include. Minerals are inorganic bodies ; 

 they are without life, and incapable of increase or diminution 

 except by means of some force outwardly applied. These are 

 earth, rock, metals, &c. ORGANIC bodies are divided into ANI- 

 MATE and INANIMATE. The former comprehend substances en- 

 dowed with sense and motion and belong to the department of 

 ZOOLOGY ; the latter are without the faculties of sense and mo- 

 tion, and included in BOTANY. Organized beings, whether ani- 

 mate or inanimate, differ from inorganic ones in having the power 

 of reproduction, or continuing the existence of beings like them- 

 selves. Animals derive their nourishment either directly or in- 

 directly from vegetables, of which hydrogen and carbon are 

 the principal ingredients. The latter derive their nourishment 

 from the soils of the earth and from the atmosphere. 



In the survey of objects so numerous and possessing such varied 

 characteristics as those of Natural History, classification is obvi- 

 ously of high importance. A Union of several traits is almost 

 always required to distinguish a single being from others 

 around it which have some, but not all of the same traits, or 

 have them in combination with others of which that single 

 being is destitute. In the work of classification a number of 

 neighboring beings are compared with each other; and their 

 differences, which are supposed to be the least part of their for- 

 mation, are made indexes of their character. The union formed 

 by the comparison of objects which agree, but with certain 

 differences, is called a genus ; a union with fewer differences 



