W. B. CARPENTER ON THE STRUCTURE OE ORBITOLITES. 103 



however, to know that there is now rising up among us a great 

 body of earnest workers ; and that especially at Cambridge, 

 under Professor Michael Foster, and at Oxford, under Professor 

 Moseley, many young men are proving most successful searchers 

 in these fields of inquiry. One of the most beautiful results 

 attained hitherto, has been the demonstration of the continuity 

 of protoplasm through the walls of Vegetable cells. Several 

 observers are now taking up the study of Alga?, ; and I would sug- 

 gest to them the special study of a stage in the life-history of Vol- 

 vox, in which I have no doubt that this continuity will be dis- 

 tinctly traceable. I specially bring this before you, to show that 

 there are subjects within the reach of each one, which are of the 

 very greatest importance in Biological science. It used to be held 

 that there is a separate life in each vegetable cell distinct from that 

 of every other ; but Prof. Burdon Sanderson, in the course of his 

 experimental study of the Sensitive plant, was led to the conclusion 

 that there is some kind of physiological continuity ; and you may 

 now look upon these connecting protoplasmic threads as the equi- 

 valent of nerve-fibres, each of which contains an intensified proto- 

 plasmic thread passing through it from one end to the other. Sir 

 William Thomson, in his Presidential Address to the British 

 Association, speaking of Comets in their relations to Meteorites, re- 

 marked that such inquiries were the life-blood of Physical science ; 

 and in the same spirit I may also say that these microscopic 

 discoveries are the life-blood of Biology. I venture, therefore, to 

 hope that there are many members of this Club who will devote 

 their time and ability to inquiries of similar interest. 



