542 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



importance of the processes themseJves cannot be ade- 

 quately realized unless we have arrived at clear con- 

 ceptions as to the respective notions which should be 

 attached to the words ^ individual ' and ^ species.' 



It might, and doubtless will, be thought by many, 

 that whatever conflicting opinions may be entertained 

 of the precise meaning of the latter term, no similar 

 doubts could prevail concerning the significance of 

 the word individual/ Such, however, is not the 

 case. Attempts, based upon much good and legitimate 

 reasoning, have been made by Dr. Carpenter^ and 

 Prof. Huxley 2 to distinguish between the ordinary 

 meaning of this word and the special meaning in 

 which it is thought desirable that it should be under- 

 stood by biologists. So many subsequent writers have, 

 moreover, accepted the views and phraseology which 

 they proposed, that the words *^phytoid' and ^zooid' are 

 now frequently to be met with in the pages of botanical 

 and zoological writers. Hence it is all the more in- 

 cumbent that we should enquire into the propriety of 

 continuing to maintain the distinctions which these 

 words were intended to suggest — that we should en- 

 deavour, in fact, to ascertain whether such distinctions 

 are still required, or whether they are even compatible 

 with our present state of knowledge. 



^ ' Brit, and For. Med. Chir. Rev.' voL i. (1848) p. 183, and vol. iv. 

 (1849) p. 436. 



"^ 'Philos. Trans.' 1851, pp. 576-579; and 'Ann. of Nat. Hist.,< 

 2nd ser., vol. ix. p. 505. 



