THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 117 



Protamceba, and Protogenes, to which we shall have occa- 

 sion again to allude. The other members of this 

 primitive kingdom being comprised under one or other 

 of the following groups : Flagellata, Labyrinthulea, 

 Diatomea, Phycochromaceee, Fungi 1 , Myxomycetes, Proto- 

 plasta 2 , Noctilucse, and Rhizopoda. 



The homogeneous and shapeless masses of plasma 

 constituting the group Monera are supposed by Prof. 

 Haeckel to have come into being by a process 

 of equivocal or ' spontaneous ' generation, and these 

 are regarded by him as the primordial living things 3 . 

 We think, however for reasons which will subse- 

 quently appear that, side by side with these, should 

 stand Bacteria, Torulx, and other equally primordial 

 forms not alluded to by Prof. Haeckel. We merely 

 mention this conclusion at which we have arrived, 

 but will not enlarge upon it at present. 



It will be useful for us to see, however, what Prof. 

 Haeckel has to say concerning the members of his group 

 Monera, including as it does the two genera above 

 mentioned, as well as others (such as Protomyxa and 

 Vamfyrella] the species of which are no longer naked, 



1 In justification of the removal of these from the Vegetable Kingdom 

 Haeckel says : ' The whole method of nourishment and assimilation of 

 the fungi, in connection with many other characters (especially the total 

 absence of chlorophyll), remove them so far from the true plants that 

 the earlier botanists long since wished to establish for the fungi a special 

 organic kingdom.' 



2 In this group are included all the higher nucleated Amoeba. 



3 Loc. cit. p. 330. 



