4o6 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



diately after they have been formed, convert them- 

 selves into complex egg-like bodies, whose nature has 

 not yet been determined [e^f). These bodies vary as 

 much in size as the embryonal spheres — which is only 

 natural, seeing that they are but modified forms of 

 such spheres. What determines their conversion into 

 this form is just as mysterious and beyond our ken as 

 are the causes which induce arsenic to crystallize in 

 the form of beautiful octahedra. In both cases we are 

 thrown back upon the actual facts which, however 

 real they may be, we are utterly unable to explain. 

 We can only say that both sets of phenomena are 

 dependent upon molecular composition and the un- 

 known laws of polarity. Hundreds of such complex 

 egg-like bodies may occasionally be seen within a 

 single compartment of a verticel, whilst the contiguous 

 compartments on each side may be lined by as many 

 of the ^ embryonal spheres' similarly variable in size, 

 which, instead of becoming converted into a single 

 germ of some higher form, are undergoing segmentation 

 into the before-mentioned Monads. But seeing that 

 such different transformations are met with under the 

 influence of the same conditions, the difference must, 

 as we have indicated, depend upon the precise nature 

 and vigour of the molecular movements taking place 

 in the algoid matter of the respective compartments. 



The formation of these complex egg-like bodies 

 seems to represent a higher transformation than any 

 which we have as yet recorded in this series. 



