16(5 



LIFE S BEGINNING ON THE EARTH 



substance, for instance chloroform. A drop of this heavy 

 liquid, when placed in a container of water, will drop to the 

 bottom and stay there. An experiment is performed by 

 first coating a glass container on the inside with shellac, 

 allowing this lacquer to dry well, then filling the beaker 

 with water and finally placing a drop of chloroform in it. 



Fig. 64. Internal Streaming in an Oil-Drop as Protrusions Are 



Formed 



Kxactly as in the Amoeba, the oil streams rapidly forward in the center 

 of the protrusion then the stream turns around at the periphery, flowing 

 at a slow rate. (Magnified 5 times.) 



Such a drop will at once begin to creep around; like the 

 Amoeba it will extend a "pseudopodium" first in one direc- 

 tion: this attaches itself to the shellac and pulls the drop 

 behind it. Another protrusion of the drop appears else- 

 where, attaches itself and pulls the drop in another direc- 

 tion. Along the pathway of the drop the shellac is being 

 partly dissolved, so the pathway shows as a broad light 

 band on a darker background. (Fig. 65.) 



