558 



HISTORY OF ZOOPHYTES 



What, therefore, is the distinction between 

 them: 1 or are the orders so intimately blended 

 as that it is impossible to mark the boundaries 

 of each? To me it "would seem, that all ani- 

 mals are possessed of one power, of which 

 vegetables are totally deficient; I mean, 

 either the actual ability, or an awkward at- 

 tempt at self-preservation. . However vege- 

 tables may seem possessed of this important 

 quality, yet it is with them but a mechanical 

 impulse, resembling the raising one end of the 

 lever when you depress the other ; the sen- 

 sitive plant contracts and hangs its leaves, 

 indeed, when touched, but this motion noway 

 contributes to its safety : the fly-trap flower 

 acts entirely in the same manner ; and though 

 it seems to seize the little animal that comes 

 to annoy it, yet, in reality, only closes me- 

 chanically upon it, and this inclosure neither 

 contributes to its preservation nor its defence. 

 But it is very different with insects, even of 

 the lowest order ; the earth-worm not only 

 contracts, but hides itself in the earth, and 

 escapes with some share of swiftness from its 

 pursuers. The polypus hides its horns ; the 

 star-fish contracts its arms upon the appear- 

 ance even of distant dangers ; they not only 

 hunt for their food, but provide for their safety ; 

 and however imperfectly they may be formed, 

 yet still they are in reality placed many de- 

 grees above the highest vegetable of the earth, 

 and are possessed of many animal functions, 

 as well as those that are more elaborately 

 formed. 



But though these be superior to plants, they 

 are far beneath their animated fellows of ex- 

 istence. In the class of zoophytes, we may 

 place all those animals which may be propa- 

 gated by cuttings ; or in other words, which, 

 if divided into two or more parts, each part in 

 time becomes a separate and perfect animal ; 

 the head shoots forth a tail, and, on the con- 

 trary, the tail produces a head ; some of these 

 will bear dividing but into two parts, such as 

 the earth-worm ; some may be divided into 

 more than two, and of this kind are many of 

 the star-fish; others still may be cut into a 

 thousand parts, each becoming a perfect ani- 

 mal ; they may be turned inside out, like the 

 finger of a glove ; they may be moulded into 

 all manner of shapes, yet still their vivacious 

 principle remains, still every single part be- 

 comes perfect in its kind, and, after a few 

 days' existence, exhibits all the arts and in- 

 dustry of its contemptible parent! We shall, 

 therefore, divide zoophytes according to their 

 several degrees of perfection, namely, into 

 worms, star-fish, and polypi; contenting our- 

 selves with a short review of those nauseous 

 and despicable creatures, that excite our curi- 

 osity chiefly by their imperfections ; it must 

 not be concealed, however, that much has of 



late been written on this part of natural his- 

 tory. A new mode of anirrr.il production, could 

 not fail of exciting not only the curiosity, but 

 the astonishment of every philosopher ; many 

 found their favourite systems totally over- 

 thrown by the discovery; and it was not with- 

 out a wordy struggle, that they gave up what 

 had formerly been their pleasure and their 

 pride. At last, however, conviction became 

 too strong for argument ; and a question, 

 which owed its general spread rather to its 

 novelty than to its importance, was given up 

 in favour of the new discovery. 



CHAP. II. 



OF WORMS. 



THE first in the class of zoophytes, are ani- 

 mals of the worm kind, which, being entirely 



1 " Tiie characters of insects are so distinct and in- 

 telligible, those of worms, on the contrary, so vague, ai'd 

 so far from positive, that the shortest way of defining tlio 

 latter might perhaps he as animals with white blood, not 

 insects ; differing from them by the deficiency as well of 

 antenna; as of articulated organs of motion. They have, 

 for the most part, soft glutinous bodies, a few only being 

 covered with hair, as the aphrodites, or with a calcare- 

 ous shell, as the sea-hedgehog. Many amphitrites 

 construct an artificial shell of grains of sand, &c; 

 whilst many other animals of this class, viz. the 

 testacea and certain polypes, inhabit a solid house re- 

 sembling porcelain or stone, congenital, and serving the 

 purposes of residence and defence ; in some cases it is 

 carried about by the animal, in others is firmly attached 

 to one spot. No animal of this class has wings, for the 

 springing of the cuttle-fish out of the water is not to be 

 called flying; neither has it any true legs for the support 

 of the body, or for motion. Earth-worms, sea-hedge- 

 hogs, sea-anemones, &c. have, however, particular organs, 

 which in some degree answer similar purpose?. In many 

 instances too, the deficiency of external organs of motion 

 in worms, is supplied by the power which they possess 

 of alternately elongating and shortening themselves. 

 Instead of antennae, many worms have teniamla, soft, 

 fleshy cords or fibres, attached to the head, flexible, not 

 articulated, in some cases of considerable length, and 

 serving a variety of purposes ; sometimes for touching, 

 at others for taking their prey, and so forth. Of the 

 senses of these animals and the organs devoted to them, 

 still less that is positive can be said than of those of 

 insect". Some have undoubtedly ttue eyes, as the sepise, 

 &c. and others, without having eyes, possess a most acute 

 feeling of sight. In their internal structure, most 

 worms differ as much from insects as these do frcm red- 

 blooded animals. 



" This class also differs from insects in this, that no 

 animal belonging to it undergoes a true metamorphosis, 

 which is so generally the case amongst them. The 

 abode of these animals is generally in water ; and by far 

 the greater part of them in the ocean. Some live under 

 ground ; others exclusively in the living bodies of other 

 animals, as the intestinal worms, seminal animalcules, 

 &c. Their remarkable powers of reproduction serve to 

 insure the preservation of many animals of this clas?, 

 and some, as the animalcula of paste, the wheel-animal, 

 &t:., possess a kind of revivescence, which appears to 



