8 THEPHILOSOPHY 



plants is rather owing to a peculiar law, than to a quicker or flower 

 motion of their juices. 



A flomach and brain have been reckoned eflential charaderiftics 

 of the animal ; and plants are faid to pofTefs nothing analogous to 

 thefe organs. But the polypus has no ftomach ; or rather, like 

 vegetables, its whole body may be confidered as a ftomach. Its 

 internal cavity contains no vifcera ; and, when this animal is 

 turned outfide in, it ftill continues to live, and to digeft its food, 

 in the fame manner as if it had received no injury. The mode 

 by. which plants are nourifhed is extremely analogous. They 

 imbibe food by the roots, the trunk, the branches, the leaves, and 

 the flowers. Inftead, therefore, of having no ftomach, their whole 

 ftru<5ture is ftomach. With regard to the brain, the polypus, and 

 many other infetfls, are deprived of that organ. Hence neither 

 ftomach nor brain are efl'ential charaders which difcrirainate the 

 animal from the vegetable. 



Eut all animals are endowed with fenfation, or at leaft with irri- 

 tability, which laft has been confidered as a diftindive character of 

 animal life. Senfation implies a diftinfl: perception of pleafure and 

 pain. We infer the exiftence of fenfation in organized bodies, 

 when we perceive that they have organs fimilar to our own, or 

 when they aft, in certain circumftances, in the fame manner as we 

 aO:. If an organized being has eyes, ears, and a nofe, we naturally 

 conclude that it enjoys the fame fenfations as thefe organs convey 

 to us. If we fee another being, whofe ftrudure exhibits nothing 

 analogous to our organs of fenfation, contradting with rapidity 

 when touched, direfling its body uniformly to the light, feizing 

 fmal! Infeds with tentacula, or a kindof arms, and conveying them 

 into an aperture placed at its anterior end, we hefitate riot to pro- 

 nounce that it is ai^fiiated. Cut off its arms, deprive it cf the fa- 

 I culty 



