NATURALIZED. In the language of botanists and zoologiSts, those plants and aid mels are said to be naturalized in any country, which. having been introduced into it by mnn, have established themselves so as to exist without his care. A plant or animal is never said to be naturalized so long as it exists merely in a state of cultivation or domes tication, but is so when it becomes truly wild, and, unaided. competes successfully for a place among those which are indigenous to the country. Thus, the horse is not natural ized in Britain, or in most of the countries in which it is most highly valued; but both the horse and the ox may be said to lie naturalized in South America. Many of the plants now most characteristic of southern Europe are sometimes said to have been originally introduced from the cast; and sonie that are abundant in many parts of Britain were, in all probability, brought from the continent of Europe. Sonic of these almost evince their foreign origin by growing chiefly near ruins, or in places which have long been tile seats of human habitation. Many plants now naturalized in Britain appear to have been originally brought for medicinal use. although now disregarded. In Many eases, however, naturalization has taken place without any attempt having been made by man to introduce the plant, even for cultivation; and thus many Euro peen weeds are now common in America, the seeds having found their way thither with those of more valuable plants, or in some such aceidental manner. The same thing has
taken place as to animals. Thus mice and rats find their way from one country to another; thus the bed-bug found its way at no remote date to Britain; other insects have been even more recently introduced with foreign productions of different kinds; and a mollusk (see DnErssENA), previously unknown, has established itself in some British rivers and canals. The pheasant may be mentioned as an instance of naturalization in Britain designed and successfully accomplished by man. An acclimatization seciefy has recently been formed in London, which has for its object the naturalizing, rather than what may more strictly he called the acclimatizing, of animals deemed suitable and desirable. It is unquestionable that much may be done by naturalization of animals, not only to render rural scenes more attractive, but also to increase their economical productiveness. Perhaps nothing of this kind has received so little of the attention dun to its importance as the naturalization of fishes. See PISCICULTURE.