ORIGINAL ORGANIC KINGDOM. 43 



these two grand kingdoms of nature ; for so 

 gradually and imperceptibly do their confines blend, 

 that it is at present utterly out of his power to 

 define exactly where vegetable existence ceases, and 

 animal life begins." 



The difficulty, thus apparent, of drawing a precise 

 line of demarcation between animals and vegetables 

 has led Dr. Carus to observe that, "it seems to 

 follow that we are entitled to suppose between plants 

 and animals an original organic kingdom ; nay, that 

 this is the only way in which we can succeed in 

 laying down a truly generic series of these singular 

 organizations, beginning with the most simple, and 

 losing itself in one direction in the vegetable, and 

 in the other, in the animal kingdom." 



