ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 87 



interior, where they remained to be digested; and at the 

 same time I have observed those same heliazoa capture 

 other heliazoa, and instead of drawing them into their in- 

 terior and surrounding them as they, did other bodies, they 

 would draw them in until the two heliazoa touched, when 

 there occurred a fusing and blending of the two animals 

 into one just so much larger. My only explanation is that, 

 as indicated, the protoplasm of the two animals is exactly 

 alike and hence there can be no need of digestion. Were 

 one of the heliazoa dead when it came in contact with 

 another which would otherwise have fused with it, I have 

 no doubt but that the dead heliazoan would be surrounded 

 and drawn into the interior of the live one the same as 

 other animals are and there digested, it being not exactly 

 like the protoplasm of the one which is alive. For if this 

 were not the case, if the dead heliazoan upon contact with 

 the living heliazoan were to form a part of it as the 

 living heliazoan did, then we should have a case where 

 simple contact of the living protoplasm with the same but 

 dead protoplasm would impart life to the dead, just as a 

 piece of iron which is magnetized, if brought in contact 

 with one which is not, will impart magnetism to it. But 

 it is needless to say that sucli a phenomenon of life has 

 never been observed. 



While watching the heliazoan (Fig. 3, 20) which we 

 have just described as being the result of the union of two 

 of the youngest individuals (Fig. 2, 23), the water was 

 stirred by a worm, and another heliazoan, of about the same 

 size as the one under observation, but with three vacuoles 

 and no rays, was brought nearer and nearer until finally 

 they accidentally came in contact with one another and 

 immediately united (Fig. 20) and assumed a spherical form. 

 Presently the single ray disappeared and three more vacu- 

 oles made their appearance in the mass of protoplasm 

 together with the development of a contractile vesicle 



