difcoiuTe or treatife on animals, or living crea- 
tures. It is derived from Zoon, Animal ; and 
Logos, Speech. 
Zoology forms the moft important and enter- 
taining article in natural hiftory ; comprehending 
whatever relates to the conformation, figure, me- 
thod of living, feeding, and propagating, of the 
various fpecies of exiftences, and the defcriptions 
of every kind. 
This conftitutes one of the three kingdoms, as 
they are called, of natural hiftory ; the vegetable 
and the mineral forming the two others. In thefe, 
however, there is this diftinction miade by writers: 
that while vegetables and minerals are jointly 
treated of, as all of a piece in each ; the fubiedts 
of Zoolojrv are lubHivided, and made, as it were, 
to compofe feveral kingdom.s. 
A n 'tural divifion, therefore, of the fubjefts of 
Zoology, will afford fix feveral fam.ilies: the hairy 
q\iadrupeds; the birds; the amphibious animals, 
fuch as fcrpents, lizards, frogs, and tortoifes ; 
the fifhes; the infefts ; and, laftly, the lowefc or- 
der of animated beings, tiie zoophytes. See 
QuADR.up£Ds, Birds, tzc. 
ZOOPHYTE. A term compounded of Zoon, 
Animal ; and Phuion, Plant : exprt-ffing a kind of 
intermediate body, fup::»ofed to partake bo'th of 
the nature of an animal and a vegetable. 
In the Linnsm fyllem, the Zoophytes, which 
conftitute the fifth order of VN^orms, are compofite 
animals, refembling a fiower, and fpringing from 
2 vegetating ftem. This order contains na:een 
genera, nine of which are fixed ; the ifis, or red 
coral ; the gorgonia, or lea fan; the alcyonium ; 
the fponge; the fiuftra ; the tubularia; the co- 
rallines ; the fertularia; and the vorticella. Others 
have a locomotive pov/er; as the hydra, or po- 
lype the pennatula, or fea-pen ; the tcEnia; the 
volvox; the furia ; and the chaos, or an affemblage 
of chaotic and microfcopic animals. 
The fpecies under tliis order are one hundred 
and fifty-fix. 
Zoophytes form the lad link in the c'lain of 
animated nature : they are a clafs of beings fo 
confined in their powers, and fo defedivc in tlieir 
formation, that ibme naturalifts have acknow- 
ledged themfclves at a lofs, wliether to confider 
them as a fuperior rank of vegetables, or the 
humbleft order of the animated tribe. Indeed, 
in fome of them, the marks of the animal are fo 
few, tha': it is difficult to give them their place 
in nature with precifion, or to tell whether it is a 
plant or an infed that is the objeft of our confi- 
dcration. 
Should it be enquired what conftitutes the dif- 
ference between animal and vegetable life; v^hat 
line bounds the tv/o great kingdoms froin each 
other; it would be difficult, perliaps impoiFible, 
to return an explicit anfwer. The power of mo- 
tion cannot alone conftitute this diftin6tion ; fince 
fome vegetables are pofiTefi^ed of motion, and 
many animals are totally deftitute of any. The 
fenfitive plant has obvioufly a greater variety of 
motions than the oyfter or the pholas. The ani- 
mal that fills the acorn-fhell is immoveable, and 
can only clofe it's lid to defend itfelf from exter- 
nal injury ; v/hile the flower which is vulgarly 
known by the appellation of the fly-trap, fecms to 
clofe on fuch flies as alight upon it, and attempt to 
rifle it of it's honey. The animal, in this inftance, 
appears to have fcarcely a power of felf-defence ; 
the vegetable not only guards it's pofTeffions, btiC 
feizes on the plunderer that would v/ilh to invade 
them. 
In like manner, the modes of propagation give 
no fuperiority to the lower ranks of an;rna!s : on 
the contrary, vegetables are frec|uent!y brought 
forth more conformably to the higher r;;nks of 
the creation ; and though fome plants are pro- 
duced by cuttings from others, yet the gen -raiity 
of them are propagated from feeds, laid in the 
v/omb of the earth, where they are hatched into 
the fimilitude of the parent plant or flower. But 
a mofl: extenfive tribe of animals have been dif- 
covered, which are propagated by cuttings ; and 
this in fo extraordinary a manner, that though 
the original infe6l be divided into a thoufand 
parts, each, however fmall, fnall be formed into 
an animal, entirely rcfmibling that t7om whicii ic 
was feparated. In this refped', therefore, (^--ertain 
races of animals feem to fail beneath vegeri/oles, 
'oy their more imperfe6l propagation. 
Where are we then to find the didincfdon be- 
tween them; or are the orders fo intimately blend» 
ed, that a dilcrimination is im.pofliblc ? On an at- 
tentive confiJcrarion of the kibjeft, it would leem, 
that all animals enjoy one fiiculty of which vege- 
tables are totally deficient ; which is either the 
a6tual ability, or the aukward attempt at felf-pre- 
iervation. However vegetables may feem pof- 
fcflxd of this important quality, it is v/itii them but 
a mechanical impulfe, refembling the elevating 
one end of the lever wlien the other is deprefl^ed. 
The fenfitive plant contrac?ts and hangs it's leaves, 
indeed, when touched; but this motion in no re- 
fpecft contributes to it's fafecy: the fly-trap flower 
acts entirely in a fimiiar manner; and tf'.ouo-h it 
feems to feize the little animial that would annoy 
it, in reality it's clofing is only a mechanical mo- 
rion, and this inclofure ncitlier contributes to it's 
prefervation nor defence. But it is very different 
with infefls, even of the lowefc order. The earth- 
worm not only contracls, bur hides itfelf in the 
earth, and efcapes viith. fome degree of fv/if^nefs 
from it's purfuers; the polypus withdraws it's 
horns; and the fl:ar-fifli contrads it's arms on the 
appearance of the moft diilanr danger. They 
not only hunt for tlieir food, but provide for their 
f^fety ; and however imperfectly they may be 
formed, yet ftill they are in reality placed many 
degrees above the highed vegetable of the earth, 
and are pofiTeflTed of many animal funftions adapt- 
ed to their fphere of a6lion in as perfefl: a manner 
as thofe exiftences which are miOre elaborately 
formed. 
But though thefe are certainly fuperior to plants, 
they are removed to an infinite diftance from the 
generality of anim-ated beings. In the clafs of 
Zoophytes we may place ail thofe animals which 
may be propagated by cuttings; or, in other 
words, v^^hich, if divided into two or more parts, 
eacli part in time becomes a feparate and pcrfeCt 
animal; the head fhoots forth a tail; and, on the 
contrary, the tail produces a head. Some of thefe 
will bear diflecting only into two parts, as the earth- 
worm ; fome may be divided into more than two, 
and of this kind are many of the ftar-filTi ; others 
fl:ill may be cut into a thoufand parts, each be- 
coming a perfect animal; they may be turned infide 
out ; they may be mioulded into all manner of 
fnapes; yet fl.ill their vivacious principle remains; 
ftill every part becomes perfeft in it's kindj and, 
after 
