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CHAPTER IV. 



ON THE ANIMAL KINGDOM GENERALLY. 



ORGANIZED Matter may be generally described as ra- 

 mifying into two branches which represent the animal 

 and vegetable kingdoms, and which touch one another 

 very nearly, if not precisely, at those points where the or- 

 ganization of each is the least complicated. " It is cer- 

 tain," says Lamarck, " that if the vegetable kingdom 

 could be shown to connect itself or pass into the animal 

 kingdom by any points of their respective series, it would 

 be by those alone which are the most simple in their or- 

 ganization; so that the passage from the least perfect 

 plants to the least perfect animals would be quite insensi- 

 ble. All naturalists have perceived this truth ; and in fact 

 it is in such a point, namely, where organization is the most 

 simple, that animals appear to approach nearest to plants. 

 Now, if the chasm which separates the kingdoms at these 

 points be imperceptible, we shall be obliged to admit that 

 instead of forming a chain, plants and animals present two 

 distinct branches, united at their base like the two branches 

 of the letter V." 



Such indeed is the real state of the case ; though with 

 this celebrated naturalist it is an opinion advanced only to 

 be rejected, because he cannot discern that there exists 

 any point of union between the kingdoms. We have, 

 however, already seen that the only difference between 

 some of the minute gelatinous vegetables of the Linnasan 



