THE SIMPLEST FORMS OF LIFE 33 



reveals that it is a comparatively advanced organism. In 

 the centre of its round body there is a special and charac- 

 teristic firmer spot called the " nucleus " or kernel. It is 

 generally believed, on experimental grounds, that this 

 implies a most important growth in (or towards) organisa- 

 tion. The nucleus is believed to have the function of 

 reproducing the species, while the rest of the body pro- 

 miscuously attends to the wants of the individual. Finally, the 

 amceba is an animal organism, and feeds on organic matter. 



The earliest organisms in our primitive ocean cannot have 

 been like the amoeba. This first division of labour must 

 have taken a vast period for its accomplishment. The 

 germ-stuff clearly cut off from the rest of the body, and set 

 in the centre for protection, implies a long line of evolution. 

 The locomotive system similarly points to a long develop- 

 ment, especially as we have plenty of living things that have 

 not yet evolved so far. The distinct sensitiveness of the 

 amceba has the same story to tell; and our first organisms 

 cannot have been animal, as they would not have organic 

 matter to feed on. 



Why does Sir Oliver Lodge make no attempt to tell his 

 readers what the first living things are likely to have been ? 

 He says they cannot have been evolved taking them body 

 and "soul" from inorganic matter and energy. Are we 

 to say this without making a most careful study of them ? 

 Some light seems to be thrown on his procedure by a note 

 at the conclusion of his second chapter : 



I am using the term " life" in a quite general sense, as is 

 obvious, for if it be limited to certain metabolic processes 



D 



