OF ORGANIC BODIES. I < 



possess all the properties, of the perfect animal. But 

 this requires time, and is produced by a. regular process 

 of growth and developement, for immediately after this 

 division is made, the parts are motionless and apparently 

 without life. 



Emily. Are not those sea-anemones which we ob- 

 served yesterday clinging to the rocks on the beach, ani- 

 mals of this kind ? I think you said they belonged to 

 the class of Zoophytes. If they are, I should like to try 

 the experiment on those which brother George brought, 

 home. How must they be divided ? 



j} r ^ jg. You may divide them into two portions, 

 either horizontally or vertically, and after a time you 

 will find that both pieces have attained the size and 

 form of a perfect animal. But we must postpone these 

 experiments to a leisure hour, for recollect we are di- 

 gressing from our subject. 



Emily. I think, Dr. B., that I can point out a very 

 prominent distinction between organized and unorgani- 

 zed bodies, the former in the early periods of their 

 life, are constantly growing in size, while the latter do 

 not grow in the least, but remain the same, year after 

 year. 



Dr. B. True indeed, they do not grow in the same 

 sense as organic bodies grow, but you do not suppose, 

 do you, that minerals have never increased in size, but 

 were created by the great Architect just as you see them. 

 Minerals do increase in size by what is called accretion; 

 that is, by the accession of new layers of particles to 

 their surface, without any change in their nature ; thus 

 they may be augmented to an indefinite extent. All 

 minerals have been formed in this manner, and the pro- 

 cess is continually going on, though it may not be appa- 

 rent to us. Organic bodies, on the contrary, grow by 

 assimilation, as it is termed ; they receive into their in- 

 terior various substances, all which, by peculiar powers 

 of their own, are converted into one homogeneous sub- 

 stance, and carried to different parts of the body. The 

 2* 



