The Zoologist— Janoary, 1868. 1037 



A few instances of these dichotomies at once force themselves on 

 our notice. In the first place, organized beings are either animals or 

 plants, and although we constantly meet with learned lecturers who 

 raise objections to this obvious truism, and skilfully place a stumbling- 

 block in their own way just to exhibit their ability to remove it 

 Nature takes no heed of their proceedings, but wntes plant and 

 « animal" on the forehead of each in characters so unmistakably plain 

 that he who runs may read. The lecturer may talk of chemical tests 

 of the test of burning ; he may immerse atoms in aquafortis or subject 

 them to a white heat in order to ascertain their true character ; it is all 

 lo little purpose, and we accept Nature's inscription in preference, and 

 leave the lecturer to his experiments and his speculations. 



I am often taught by the simple remarks of children how much ot 

 our labour is in vain. Sometimes I spend an hour or two in Regent s 

 Park, where animals and plants have each their allotment of acres. 

 One Thursday a learned professor at the Royal Botanic explained at 

 great length the necessity of applying tests in distinguishing animals 

 from plants ; and a little boy who was my companion seemed 

 " To drink instruction with deligbted ear." 



We adjourned to the Zoo, where my juvenile friend enjoyed a ride on 

 the elephant, and some lime after he had dismounted he asked me, in 

 perfect simplicity, « Mr. Newman, is the elephant an animal or a 

 plant > " I saw of course what was going on in his juvenile brain, and 

 told my youthful friend that in the case of such large creatures as 

 elephants there could be no doubt; that we recognized them at once, 

 instinctively, intuitively, and a little more in the same sagacious strain, 

 and so I thought the matter was settled; but I could not escape so 

 readily as this : when we reached the giraffes the subject was renewed 

 by the inquiry, - Have the giraffes been calcined i » « No, certainly 

 not or we should not see them poking their noses almost in our faces 

 as they are doing now." " Then you can't be quite certain whether 

 they are plants or animals: Professor Smokey said so just now. I got 

 out of the hobble as well as I could, but with a steadfast resolution 

 never to take a child to hear another scientific lecturer. Nature herself 

 was this boy's best instructor; philosophy only served to lead him 

 astray. Animals and plants then are one of Nature's pairs, which even 

 the learning of a professor will not serve to divorce. 



The reptiles afford us another instance of a natural dichotomy. 

 Cuvier, the great apostle of our Science, regarded sticklers, birds, 



