ON THE FOOD OF PLANTS. 99 



enough to support one plant of a peculiar kind, 

 will at the same time furnish sufficient to sustain 

 many others of different species. 



Bradley, in the work I have before noticed, 

 says, " Land animals may be likened in general 

 " to those plants which are called terrene, for 

 " that they live only upon the earth, such as 

 " oak, elm, beech, &c. ; amphibious animals, 

 " such as otters, beavers, tortoises, frogs, &c., 

 " which live as well on the land as in the 

 " waters, may be compared to the willows, 

 " alders, minths, &c. The fish kind, or aquatic 

 " race, whether of the rivers, or the sea, are 

 " analogous to the water plants, such as water 

 " lilies, water plantains, &c. which live only in the 

 " fresh waters, or the fuci, &c., which are sea 

 " or salt water plants, and not any of these will 

 " live out of its own element ; from whence 

 " we may conclude, how improper it would be 

 " to plant a water lily on a dry sandy desert, 

 " or an oak at the bottom of the sea, which 

 " would be just as reasonable as if we propose 

 " to feed a dog with hay, or a horse with fish: 

 " however, this rule of nature has been so little 

 " observed, even by some of our greatest plant- 

 " ers, that we can hardly boast of good suc- 

 " cess, in one out of five plantations that have 



" been made." 



H 2 



