ALG^. 93 



inflated cells, by entering the pore, or by the slit 

 caused by the raising of the operculum {e). It is at 

 this juncture that the most curious phenomenon takes 

 place, which has all the appearance of intelligent 

 action. After the androspores escape from their 

 shortened mother-cells, they float freely in the water, 

 in search of some position in which to attach 

 themselves, for further development (/). Their aim 

 and object would be, if they were free and intelligent 

 beings, to attach themselves as near as possible to 

 the oogonia, which they are destined to fertilize, in 

 order that their contents might be discharged into 

 the openings left for that purpose, otherwise the 

 spermatozoids would be diffused in the surrounding 

 fluid, and fail of their mission. The true facts of the 

 case are, that the androspores do attach themselves 

 upon, or immediately around the inflated cells, and 

 there attain their final development, in close proximity 

 to the openings which the mature spermatozoids are 

 destined to enter. It would be folly to ascribe this 

 to mere accident, otherwise androspores would 

 commonly be detected seated on barren portions of 

 the threads, far away from the inflated cells ; but, on 

 the contrary, they will always be found clustered 

 about the oogonium, in just such a position as that 

 in which they would be expected to place themselves, 

 had they been guided by the same instinct which 

 controls the actions of birds and animals. Nothing 

 more suggestive than this occurs amongst all the 

 phenomena of low life, and no explanation has yet 

 solved the mystery, which is intensified when we 

 inquire into the history of the life of the other species, 



