number is comparatively limited, being chiefly confined to trees, and those only while they are referred to as whole bodies, and It is to to the various species of fruits, seeds, and esculents. be remarked, however, that the names for animals are only employed as animates, while the objects are referred to as whole

and complete species ; but the gender must be changed when it

becomes necessary to speak of separate members. meant

Man, woman,

mother, are separate nouns, so long as the individuals are

father, ;

but hand, foot, head, eye, ear, tongue, are inanimates.

Buck is an animate noun, while his entire carcase is referred to,

APPENDIX. whether

living or

dead ; but neck, back, heart, windpipe, take In like manner eagle, swan, dove, are

the inanimate form.

distinguished as animates ; but

with inanimates. leaf, root,

beak, wing,

So oak, pine, ash, are

tail, are arranged animates j branch,

inanimates.

No language is perhaps so defective as to be totally without number.

But there are few which furnish so many modes of

as the Algonquin. There are as many modes of indicating the are as there vowel plural sounds,' yet there is no dis forming it

tinction between a limited and an unlimited substantive plural ; al

though there is, in the pronoun, an inclusive and an exclusive plu ral. Whether we say man or men, two men or twenty men, the But singular inin-e, and the plural ininewug, remain the same. if

we say we, us or our men (who are present), or we, us, or