SYSTEM OF INSECIS. 361 
Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal; but strictly speaking 
the primary division is into organized and inorganized 
matter; the former resolving itself into the two king- 
doms last mentioned. These, like England and Scot- 
land of old, have their “ Land Debateable;” occupied 
by those Productions moyennes, (to use a term of Bon- 
net’s*,) which are as it were partly animal and partly 
vegetable. From this territory common to both, the two 
kingdoms are extended in a nearly parallel direction till 
they reach their extreme limits, without any incursion from 
either side upon their mutual boundaries, but each show- 
ing its kindred with the other by certain resemblances 
observable between opposite points; so that valley cor- 
responds with valley, mountain with mountain, river 
with river, sea with sea”; not, however, so as to form an 
exact counterpart, but only in some general features. 
But to leave metaphor ;—as the vegetable kingdom is dis- 
tinguished from the mineral by its organization and life, 
by its circulation of sap, and by its powers of reproduc- 
tion by seed or otherwise ; so is the animal from the ve- 
getable by its powers of volition and locomotion‘, by its 
nervous system and organs of sensation, and the senses 
to which they minister, by its muscular irritability, and 
by its instinctive endowments. 
Having made these observations with regard to the pri- 
mary division of natural objects in general,—what I have 
further to say will be confined to the anzmal kingdom, 
and ultimately to the branch of which we are treating. 
@ CEuor. vii. 52. > WN. Dict. ? Hist. Nat. ii. 834—. 
© Even those animals that like the Spongie and Alcyonia are ag- 
gregate, and fixed by a common base, have a partial degree of yo- 
luntary locomotion in their cells. 
