54 THE HISTORY OF CREATION, 
form of naked cells with a kernel, which canno% be distin- 
guished at all from the naked eggs of many animals (for 
example, those of the Siphonophorous Medusze). (Compare 
the figure of a naked egg of a bladder-wrack in Chapter 
xvii. p. 90). In reality every naked simple cell, whether 
it proceeds from an animal or vegetable body, cannot 
be distinguished from an independent Amoeba. For an 
Amceba is nothing but a simple primary cell, a naked 
little lump of cell-matter, or plasma, containing a kernel. 
The contractility of this plasma, which the free Ameeba 
shows in stretching out and drawing in its changing pro- 
cesses, is a general vital property of the organic plasma 
of all animal as well as of all vegetable plastids) Whena 
freely moving Amceba, which perpetually changes its form, 
passes into a state of rest, it draws itseli together into the 
form of a globule, and surrounds itself with a secreted mem- 
brane. It can then be as little distinguished from an anima] 
exg as from a simple globular vegetable cell (Hig. 10 4). 
Fre. 10.—Amceba spheerococcnus, greatly magnified. A fresh-water Ameeba 
without a contractile vacuole. A. The enclosed Amceba in the state 
of a globular lump of plasma (c) enclosing a kernel and a kernel-speck (a). 
The simple cell is surrounded by a cyst, or cell-membrane (d). B. The 
free Amoeba, which has burst and left the cyst, or cell-membrane. C. It 
begins to divide by its kernel parting into two kernels, and the cell- 
substance between the two contracting. D. The division is completed, and 
the cell-substance has entirely separated into two bodies. (Da and Db). 
