4 PHILOSOPHY OF ZOOLOGY. 



between the Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms ; and the vast 

 interval by which Man is separated from his Maker, is occu- 

 pied by different orders of superior intelligences. 



All this appears at first sight plausible, and in some re- 

 spects in conformity with those arrangements of Nature 

 which we witness taking place in the subordinate divisions 

 of animated beings. But when we examine attentively the 

 characters which distinguish inorganic from organized be- 

 ings, and animals from vegetables, we perceive, at once, 

 that there are intervening chasms by which different parts 

 of the chain are separated ; nor can the most acute ob- 

 server detect on either side the remaining portions entire, 

 although he may be able to collect a few fragments and 

 disjointed links. 



I. Independence of the different parts of Inorganic Be- 

 ings. The different parts of an inorganic body enjoy an in- 

 dependent existence, while the parts of a body belonging to 

 the organized kingdom, depend on their relative situation 

 for the continuance of their structure and properties. The 

 value of this distinctive mark will appear more obvious 

 by the following examples. If we remove, from a bed of 

 basalt, one of the jointed columns of which it consists, 

 neither the bed nor the column suffer by the disjunction ; 

 and the latter retains the same form and structure as be- 

 fore the separation. If the joints be divided from one an- 

 other, each joint will continue to preserve its character, al- 

 though no longer in connection with those of which the 

 column originally consisted. If the joint be split into a 

 number of pieces, each fragment will be found to preserve 

 its form and structure as permanently as the concretion 

 from which it was detached. How widely different are the 

 appearances exhibited by an organized body, when sub- 

 jected to similar treatment ! 



