VIII.] HOMOLOGIES. 209 



capillary, produces the spherical form ; the spherical form 

 does not produce attraction. And crystalline polarities 

 produce crystalline structure and form ; crystalline struc- 

 ture and form do not produce crystalline polarities. The 

 same is not quite so evident of organic forms, but it is 



equally true of them also." " It is not conceivable 



that the microscope should reveal peculiarities of struc- 

 ture corresponding to peculiarities of habitual tendency in 

 the embryo, which at its first formation has no structure 

 whatever ; " ^ and he adds that " there is something quite 

 inscrutable and mysterious " in the formation of a new 

 individual from the germinal matter of the embryo. In 

 another place ^ he says: "We know that in crystals, not- 

 withstanding the variability of form within the limits of 

 the same species, there are definite and very peculiar 

 formative laws, which cannot possibly depend on any- 

 thing like organic functions, because crystals have no such 

 functions ; and it ought not to surprise us if there are 

 similar formative or morphological laws among organisms, 

 which, like the formative laws of crystallization, cannot be 

 referred to any relation of form or structure to function. 

 Especially, I think, is this true of the lowest organisms, 

 many of which show great beauty of form, of a kind that 

 appears to be altogether due to symmetry of growth ; as 

 the beautiful star-like rayed forms of the acanthomdrce, 

 which are low animal organisms not very different from 

 the Foraminifera." Their " definiteness of form does not 

 appear to be accompanied by any corresponding dif'- 

 ferentiation of function between different parts ; and, so 

 far as I can see, the beautiful regularity and symmetry of 

 their radiated forms are altogether due to unknown laws 



1 "Iliiljitaml Intelligence," vol. i. p. 170. 2 jiji^l. p. 229. 



P 



