7 
328 THE CAUSES OF THE xt 
germ, or a man, or a horse, or lobster, or oyster, or | 
any other animal you choose to name, you shall find — 
each and all of these commencing their existence _ 
in forms essentially similar to each other; and,” 
furthermore, that the first processes of growth, 
and many of the subsequent modifications, are ; 
essentially the same in principle in almost all. 
In conclusion, let me, in a few words, recapitu-_ 
late the positions which I have laid down. And 
you must understand that I have not been 
talking mere theory; I have been speaking of — 
matters which are as plainly demonstrable as the — 
commonest propositions of Huclid—of facts that 
must form the basis of all speculations and beliefs 
in Biological science. We have gradually traced 
down all organic forms, or, in other words, we have 
analysed the present condition of animated nature, 
until we found that each species took its origin in — 
a form similar to that under which all the othe 
commenced their existence. We have found the — 
whole of the vast array of living forms with which — 
we are surrounded, constantly growing, increasing, — 
decaying and disappearing ; the animal constantly — 
attracting, modifying, and applies to its susten- 
ance the matter of the vegetable kingdom, which 
derived its support from the absorption and con-_ 
version of inorganic matter. And so constant and 
universal is this absorption, waste, and repr 
duction, that it may be said with perfect certaint 
that there is left in no one of our bodies at th 
