INTRODUCTION. 5 



in the same manner as an entire plant, or an entire animal is capa- 

 ble of the same process. 



There are many inorganic bodies incapable of being considered 

 as wholes ; because they are not limited toward their boundaries in 

 any determinate manner. To such belong Water, Atmospheric-air, 

 and in general, those bodies which are fluid at natural temperatures. 

 They may, and undoubtedly do, consist of a great many individuals; 

 but the imperfection of our organs place them beyond the reach of 

 examination, and compel us to study them in masses. In this situa- 

 tion with respect to these bodies, we may indeed compare our case 

 with that of the botanist who is permitted to view a verdant mass of 

 vegetation only from a distance, instead of examining nearer by, 

 the individual forms of which it is composed. 



