534 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



should arise in this definite manner from the repro^ 

 ductive products of a plant^ will doubtless seem to 

 many to flavour more of fable than of fact. After the 

 observations which have been detailed, however, we 

 must accept the occurrence of such phenomena as 

 established facts — ^just as we are compelled, and are 

 now quite accustomed, unhesitatingly to believe in the 

 reality of other equally inexplicable phenomena. When 

 we are able really to explain the reason of the processes 

 by which one minute vesicular mass of fatty and albu- 

 minoid particles develops into a man, another into a 

 fish, and another into an insect, we may then with a 

 little more show of reason think of rejecting other more 

 or less similar facts because they are incomprehensible ! 



However true may be the views set forth in this 

 chapter, it might reasonably be expected that others 

 would give credence to them all the more readily if it 

 could be shown that many facts long known — though 

 difficult of explanation — were now more easily to be 

 understood. Let us, therefore, briefly glance at a few 

 of these old difficulties. 



We have already alluded, on more than one occasion, 

 to the general accordance between our views and the 

 facts known concerning the succession of higher and 

 higher organisms which gradually replace one another 

 in infusions ^ And yet, on the old hypothesis, there 

 is the greatest difficulty in accounting for these pheno- 

 ^ See p. 502. 



