396 THE CAUSES OF THE xi 



commencement were not obtained by a conjunc- 

 tion of the two sexual elements. 



That character which is common to these two 

 distinct processes is this, that, whether we con- 

 sider the reproduction, or perpetuation, or modifica- 

 tion of organic beings as they take place non-sexu- 

 ally, or as they may take place sexually in either 

 case, I say, the offspring has a constant tendency 

 to assume, speaking generally, the character of 

 the parent. As I said just now, if you take a slip 

 of a plant, and tend it with care, it will eventually 

 grow up and develop into a plant like that from 

 which it had sprung; and this tendency is so 

 strong that, as gardeners know, this mode of 

 multiplying by means of cuttings is the only secure 

 mode of propagating very many varieties of plants ; 

 the peculiarity of the primitive stock seems to be 

 better preserved if you propagate it by means of a 

 slip than if you resort to the sexual mode. 



Again, in experiments upon the lower animals, 

 such as the polype, to which I have referred, it is 

 most extraordinary that, although cut up into 

 various pieces, each particular piece will grow up 

 into the form of the primitive stock ; the head, if 

 separated, will reproduce the body and the tail; 

 and if you cut off the tail, you will find that that 

 will reproduce the body and all the rest of the 

 members, without in any way deviating from the 

 plan of the organism from which these portions 

 have been detached. And so far does this go, that 



