EASY LESSONS 



VEGETABLE BIOLOGY. 



CHAPTER L 



WHAT BIOLOGY TEACHES. 



1. THE word Biology is made up of two Greek 

 words bios, life, and logos, a discourse. It means the 

 study of living things. 



A few years ago all the living and non-living ob- 

 jects in the earth minerals, plants, and animals were 

 embraced in one department of knowledge, called 

 Natural History, but it is now usual to study living 

 and non-living objects in different departments. A 

 knowledge of Biology involves much more than the 

 ability to distinguish the different kinds of living 

 beings so as to be able to label dead specimens in a 

 cabinet. This science uses the terms of Botany and 

 Zoology only as the builder uses a scaffolding for the 

 erection of an edifice, or as a postmaster the boxes of 

 his office for a more convenient classification. 



2. Biology includes in its survey both animals and 

 vegetables, and considers their forms and peculiarities, 



