ZOOPHYTES. 193 



Passing from the vegetable to the animal kingdom, we meet, on 

 the confines of the latter, with that singular class of creatures known 

 by the name 



ZOOPHYTES. 



Zoophytes, or animal plants, as the term denotes, hold a kind 

 of intermediate place between animals and vegetables; partaking of 

 the characters of both, and linking them so closely together, that it is 

 difficult to determine where vegetation ends, and vitality begins. 

 Previous to the last century, they were classed with vegetables ; but 

 the more accurate researches of modern times have established their 

 claim to be ranked among animals. 



When we consider, that this order of animals comprehends the 

 whole of those hard, bony, or rocky substances, denominated corals; 

 it is natural to expect, that a great' quantity of them should be found 

 in a fossil state. The sponges and alcyonia, which are for the most part 

 soft and gelatinous, are also supposed to be found petrified in con- 

 siderable abundance. It is, however, very unlikely, that any animals 

 of that kind are really discovered in a fossil state, except such as 

 have a coriaceous and firm substance. When we recollect, that the 

 parts of animals and vegetables usually found petrified, are such as 

 are naturally hard ; as the shells of testaceous and crustaceous 

 animals, the bones and teeth of fishes and quadrupeds, the ligneous 

 parts of shrubs a«id ' trees, with the hard stalks and leaves of ferns 

 and reeds,^ — it will require strong evidence to convince us, that fleshy, 

 palpy, or gelatinous substances, may be found transmuted into stone. 

 Who would expect to find a petrified medusa, or a petrified snail ? It 

 is more than probable, that a large proportion of what are called 

 alcyoHites, may be particular kinds of coral ; and that a great part of 

 thesnpiposed'Spongites, may be either corals, or petrified stalks of the 



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