nOTANV I'OK YOLNU TEOl'LH. 



t)ioy prow,- liow variiMl, liow imiiifrons, iiikI liow fle^'niit tliey fti*o, and with 

 wluit oxfjiiisito nkill th«»y aro fa.sliioin'tl mikI adoriH'd, — wo .shall surt'ly fhid it 

 pi<tlitalih? and jilcasant to h'ani tlie lessons wliicli tlu'V toach. 



Now tills coiisidriiii;; of plaJits iiwjiiii iii;rly and iiif«'llii.'»'ntly is the study of 

 iJoTANV. It is an »'asy study, wlini piiisiicil in the riirlit way an<l with dili^'nt 

 utti'iitioii. Thei-M is no difliculty in nndcrstandin;,' how j<l:int> ;.'row, and uro 

 noiu'ishiMl hy the ^'ronnd, tlu' rain, and tin- air; nor in Irainin^' what tln'ir 

 jMirts aro, and how they nvr adaptt'il to each olncrand to tho way thf plant lives. 

 And any youn;,' person who w ill take sonic pains ahout it may learn to distin- 

 •;nish all our coninion plants into their kinds, and iind out their naiiies. 



Interesting' as this study is to all, it must Ite particularly so to \'()iin<r I'coplo. 

 h aj»peals to their natural curiosity, to thcii- lively doire of knowin<.r altoiit 

 tliin^rs; it calls out ami directs (i.f , educates) their poweis (»f ohsi'rvation, and 

 is adapted to sharpen and exerci. e. in a very pleasant \\n\, tin- faculty of dis- 

 crimination. To learn hoir hi ohsrrrf and A""' to lUxfiimui'ih f/n'ntf>< correctlv, 

 is the ^M'eater part of education, anil i-> that in which jieuple otherwise well- 

 ('(lucated are ajit to he snrprisin/.dy delicient. Natural ohjeots, overywhorn 

 present Jind endh'ss in variety, afl'onl the liest field for practice; and the study 

 hen voun^j, lirst of Hotanv, and afterwards of the other N.MrUAi, Scikxcks, 



w 



•p" 



li- 



as tlu'V are called, is the hest traininj^' that can he in these respecti*. Tl 

 sttidy oii;;lit to he<,'in even hefore the study of 1 a ngua <.''••. I'or to distinijuisji 

 ffihi'/x scientillcally (that is, carefully and accurately) is simpler than to distiu- 

 ^'uish /V/eax. And in I*{atuii.\l llisroia* the leiirner is jrradually led from the 

 ohservation of thinirs up to the study of ideas or tlie relations of things. 



'I'his hook is inteiuled to teacli ^'olunl^ People how to heu:in to r(>ad, with 

 pleasure and advantage, one large and easy cjiapter in the open IJook of 

 Nature; naundy, that in which tlm wisdom and goodness of the Creatt 

 plaiidy written in the Vi (MrrAHi.E Kingdom* 



)r are 



* Natural Hixtorii is the stmly <>f tli«' pKxluctioiis of thf envth in tlu-ir natural state, wlictiicr 

 minerals, jdiiiits, or aiiiinuls. Tlieso productions niaiii- ui> what are calleil tlie Three Kiiii/doins of 

 jy<iture, viz. : - 



1. The Afiiieral Khi;/<l<>m, wliieh consists of the Minerals (earths, metals, crystals, &c.), bodies 

 not emlowt'd with lift'. 



2. 7'he Viiietnlilf KiiKjilnm^ wliich comprehends Vejjetahles or Plants. 



3. Thi- Animal Kni'jiiiDii, which foinprehends all AniniaN. 



'I"h(! natural history of the mineral kinj;ilom is named IMiNKUAl.or.Y. 



The natural history of the ve;;etu*)le kingdom is I'iotany — the suV>ject of this book. 



Tile natural history of the animal kingdom is named Zoology. 



