HEREDITY 



posterior cells of his iris, as complete and 

 as good as his original lens. Many biol- 

 ogists seem to think that this behavior of 

 a mutilated salamander greatly deepens 

 the mysteries of living processes. If it 

 did not actually occur it would otherwise 

 seem as likely as that the sides of a man's 

 pocket should spontaneously replace the 

 same as before a stolen pocket-book, even 

 to the dollar bills which were in it when 

 it was lost. But after all there is no more 

 mystery in this salamander's making a new 

 lens, than there is in his making his first 

 lens. He only shows that as he did it once 

 he can do it again by the same old power 

 which was in his primordial cell. The 

 only difference seems to be that animals 

 higher in the scale than the salamander, 

 lose, as they grow, most of that original, 

 all-creating capacity to make new parts, 

 until nothing is left of it except a limited 

 capacity for repairs. ,But the power to 

 47 



