MONERA, THE BASE OF THE PEDIGREE. 39 
complete pedigree. We lack, and shall ever lack, the indis- 
pensable paleontological foundations. The most ancient 
records will ever remain sealed to us, for reasons which 
have been previously mentioned. The most ancient organ- 
isms which arose by spontaneous generation—the original 
parents of all subsequent organisms—must necessarily be 
supposed to have been Monera—simple, soft, albuminous 
lumps, without structure, without any definite forms, and 
entirely without any hard and formed parts. They and 
their next offspring were consequently not in any way 
capable of being preserved in a petrified condition. But we 
also lack, for reasons discussed in detail in the preceding 
chapter, by far the greater portion of the innumerable 
paleontological documents, which are really requisite for a 
safe reconstruction of the history of animal tribes, or 
phylogeny, and for the true knowledge of the pedigree of 
organisms. If we, therefore, in spite of this, venture to 
undertake their hypothetical construction, we must chiefly 
depend for guidance on the two other series of records 
which most essentially supplement the paleontological 
archives. These are ontogeny and comparative anatomy. 
If thoughtfully and carefully we consult these most 
valuable records, we at once perceive what is exceedingly 
significant, namely, that by far the greater number of 
organisms, especially all higher animals and plants, are com- 
posed of a great number of cells, and that they originate out 
of an egg, and that this egg, in animals as well as in plants, 
is a single, perfectly simple cell—a little lump of albuminous 
constitution, in which another albuminous corpuscle, 
the cell-kernel, is enclosed. This cell containing its kernel 
grows and becomes enlarged. By division it forms an 
