ON THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 211 



which, in order to mark the affinity between the lower tribes 

 of plants and animals, has thus impressed a gelatinous ve- 

 getable with a degree of elasticity which is so similar to 

 the nervous influence among the Acrita. Nay, many Con- 

 fervas have the same sort of generation with the Polypes ; 

 for, independently of the herbaceous and seminiferous mat- 

 ter contained in the interior of the articulations, as observed 

 by Vaucher, there are also gelatinous tubercles which give 

 rise to new plants. We need not therefore be surprised 

 that several of the Linnsean Alga should be still hovering 

 in a state of uncertainty between the two kingdoms, but 

 on the contrary be prepared to expect additional proofs of 

 the analogy which the two great divisions of organized 

 matter bear to each other. 



No groups can be more natural than those of Mono- 

 cotyledonous and Dicotyledonous plants. The latter are 

 the Vertebrata of the vegetable kingdom, their hard or os- 

 seous parts being as it were in the middle, and thus afford- 

 ing the most perfect and intricate plan of vegetable con- 

 struction. The monocotyledonous plants are not only 

 annulose in structure, or bear their harder parts on the out- 

 side, but moreover have often that articulated construction 

 which so remarkably distinguishes the corresponding be- 

 ings in the animal kingdom. These are not new or wild 

 fancies, but positive truths which, as they were first men- 

 tioned by Desfontaines, must excite our astonishment 

 that they were not sooner known. Finally, it may be ob- 

 served that the radiated form is to be found in the 

 tribe of Fungi, and that if the analogy has failed to be so 

 conspicuous between the Jungermannice or Fuci, and the 

 Mollusca, this is perhaps to be attributed as much to the 

 little acquaintance which botanists generally possess with 



P 2 



