AGASSIZ. NATURAL III; STORY OF THE UNITED STATES. J 1:> 



From the above brief summary of his terminology, we proceed 

 without abrupt transit ion. 1 o record what Professor A gasslz lias said on 

 "the question of individuality among Acalrphs." Animal indi- 

 viduality, he considers, may be manifested after one dr other of l'< .m* 

 principal modes, differing in degree or kind. Of these the first is 

 termed hereditary individuality, or " that kind of independent existence 

 manifested in the successive evolutions of a single egg, producing a 

 single individual, as is observed in all the higher animals." At'ler 

 this, " derivative, or consecutive individuality, that kind of indepen- 

 dence resulting from an individualization of parts of the product of a 

 single egg." " Next, we must distinguish secondary individuality, 

 which is inherent in those individuals arising as buds from other 

 individuals, and remaining connected with them. This condition 

 prevails in all the immovable Polyparia and Hydraria, and I say in- 

 tentionally in the immovable ones ; for in the movable communi- 

 ties, such as Benilla, Pennatula, etc. among Polyps, and all the 

 Siphonophora among Acalephs, we must still further distinguish 

 another kind of individuality, which I know not how to designate 

 properly, unless the name of complex individuality may be applied to 

 it. In complex individuality a new element is introduced, which is 

 not noticeable in the former case. The individuals of the comrnunity 

 are not only connected together, but, under given circumstances, they 

 act together as if they were one individual, while at the same time 

 each individual may perform acts of its own."* 



The Section on Individuality contains further, indeed is almost 

 wholly occupied with, a number of iconoclastic paragraphs, in which 

 Professor Agassiz puts forward, with much boldness and vigour of 

 language, his objections to the arguments in Mr. Darwin's recent 

 work on the Origin of Species. These portions of Professor Agassiz's 

 volume having been elsewheref reprinted in full, and in a very acces- 

 sible form, we prefer, on the present occasion, to pass them by, rather 

 than, within our limited space, render them a maimed or too imper- 

 fect notice. We do this with less reluctance, since our readers may 

 now peruse for themselves the excellent and impartial essays on Mr. 

 Darwin's theory by Professor Asa Gray, in which the criticisms of 

 his illustrious colleague, together with those of other " American 

 reviewers," receive due consideration. % 



The last Section of the First Part, on Classifications of Acalephs, 

 embodies a detailed abstract, accompanied with a critical commentary, 

 of the several systems proposed by Lamarck (1801-1G), Peron et 

 Lesueur (1809), Cuvier (1817-30), Schweigger (1820), Goldfuss 

 (1820), Chamisso and Eysenhardt (1821), Latreille (1«25), Esch- 



* P. 97. 



f A. N. H. September, 1860, p. 219. 



% Reprinted from the Atlantic Monthly for July, August, and October, 18C0. 

 London, Trubner and Co. 1861. 



