Agassiz, When I Saw Him Last, Had

It Was Implicitly Supposed That Every Living Thing Was Distinctively Plant Or Animal; That There Were Real And Profound Differences Between The Two, If Only They Could Be Seized.

Faith In Order, Which Is The Basis Of Science, Cannot Reasonably Be Separated From Faith In An Ordainer, Which Is The Basis Of Religion.

In Short, The Animal And Vegetable Lines, Diverging Widely Above, Join Below In A Loop.

The Best Opinion Now Is, That There Are Multitudinous Forms Which Are Not Sufficiently Differentiated To Be Distinctively Either Plant Or Animal, While, As Respects Ordinary Plants And Animals, The Difficulty Of Laying Down A Definition Has Become Far Greater Than Ever Before.

It Was Always Understood That Plants And Animals, Though Completely Contrasted In Their Higher Representatives, Approached Each Other Very Closely In Their Lower And Simpler Forms. But They Were Believed Not To Blend.