ANIMAL. 129 



tract when stimulated, very much in the same undergone during the period of existence, or 

 way as the muscular fibre among the higher the ages, and death, or end. 

 animals. Moreover, the motions by which the ORIGIN, or the acts by which species are con- 

 radicle constantly seeks the ground or tends tinned. Vegetables and animals alike derive 

 downwards and the plumula shoots into the their origin from a birth or genesis accom- 

 air, that by which some of the higher phano- plished in two different modes, either without 

 gamous plants twist in spirals around objects the concurrence of opposite sexes, or with such 

 near them, and by which all preserve one side a concurrence. When organized beings are pro- 

 of their leaves towards the light, cannot be held duced without the concurrence of opposite 

 as accidental or merely mechanical acts. Seve- sexes, the parent either divides into several 

 ral genera of the confervae and tremellae even pieces, each of which becomes an independent 

 exhibit such remarkable oscillatory movements individual, or throws out burgeons or buds 

 as have induced different naturalists and phy- from its surface, which, being detached in due 

 siologists to reckon them among the number of season exist as self-sufficing types of the spe- 

 the animals. cies. When organized beings spring from the 



With all this, however, locomotion among concurrence of sexes, again, two sets of organs 

 vegetables is a very limited power contrasted minister to the generation, the one denominated 

 with the faculty among animals. These exhibit male, supplying a fecundating matter, the other 

 all the automatical motions of vegetables, and entitled Jemale, furnishing a germ, which sub- 

 have in addition a particular system, the mus- sequently to its impregnation by the male 

 cular, superadded to their organization, by which organ undergoes a series of evolutions that end 

 many of the most important offices of the eco- in the issue of an individual resembling the 

 nomy are performed : not only instrumental parents, and fitted by its own acts to preserve 

 in procuring the food by which they are main- itself and to continue its kind, 

 tained, but in putting into play the digestive Both of these modes of reproduction are 

 and respiratory apparatus by which the nutri- common to vegetables and animals. Confervae 

 tive juices are prepared and assimilated, and and polypi alike exhibit the first mode, almost 

 finally distributed among the higher tribes to without a difference : buds or sprouts arise 

 every part of the body. The existence of this from the surface of both; these adhere for a time, 

 system is in fact one of the grand characteristics acquire a certain size, and are finally detached to 

 of the more perfect animals. By its means become independent beings. Again, the polype 

 they react upon the external world and modify divided into several pieces, gives origin in each 

 it according to their wants; by its means they of these parts to distinct polypi, exactly as the 

 guide their senses and enlarge the sphere of cuttings of vegetables take root and grow into 

 their acquaintance with things beyond them- perfect trees, shrubs, &c. 



selves ; by its means they impress the air with The second mode of reproduction that by 



the tones and articulate sounds, or execute the the concurrence of sexes, or of organs deno- 



signs by which they make known the various minated respectively male and female, is also 



states of their affective or moral and intellectual exhibited by vegetables and animaV; indifFer- 



being to one another ; finally, by its means the ently; but there are numerous circumstances 



sexes approximate, and those acts take place distinguishing this manner of reproduction in 



which lead to the engenderment of new indivi- the two classes of organized beings. In the 



duals and the continuance of species. first place, the sexual organs do not exist from 



The best informed among physiologists, how- the earliest period, and during the whole course 



ever, do not confine the motions of all animals of the life of vegetables, as they do in animals ; 



to the act of the particular tissue we denominate the sexual organs, in fact, only occur among- 



muscular. The polypes and many even of the vegetables at the time of flowering, and perish 



massy acalephs, to say nothing of the smaller whenever the end of their evolution has been 



infusories, rotifers, &c. though they move accomplished, never serving oftener than once 



freely, cannot be shown to possess muscular for the generative act. The sexual organs of 



fibres in their constitution ; neither indeed can all animals, again, that live for more than 



any nervous system, upon which muscular a year, suffice repeatedly for their office; and 



contractions and voluntary motion have always if they are not required to accomplish this 



been held dependent, be demonstrated in these oftener than once in the short-lived tribes, it is 



creatures. It is consequently probable that the probably from no inherent incapacity to serve 



means by which spontaneous motion takes again, or any destruction of the organs them- 



place in these lower animals are peculiar, as selves, but simply because the term of existence 



indeed we must acknowledge the evident mo- of the organism of which they formed a part is 



tions which occur under many other circum- complete, they perish with the system to 



stances in the world of organization to be. which they belonged. 



But let us now turn to the special manifesta- Another grand though not an invariable dis- 



tions of vitality of the two great classes of tinction between vegetables and animals is the 



organized beings we are engaged in examining, mode in which the sexes, or sexual organs for 



These we shall consider in the following order, these may be taken as synonymous terms are 



which is also that we have adopted in contrast- distributed among the individuals of each class, 



ing the manifestations of activity of unorganized Speaking generally, it may be said that the 



and organized beings, namely, origin or repro- sexual organs are as commonly divided be- 



duction, nutrition or self-preservation, changes tween two individuals among animals by whom 



VOL. i. K 



