106 CELL INTELLIGENCE THE CAUSE OF EVOLUTION 



which they formerly sought. Now to me that is very 

 clear. These volvox cells are of the plant species. They 

 understand how to make their own food and building ma- 

 terial from the raw material at hand by the aid of sun- 

 light. They row their raft into the sunlight now and then 

 in order to make food consisting generally of starch and 

 such other material as they need and when they get 

 through, they move into the shade to rest up and enjoy 

 themselves. 



There is one method practised in reproduction by the 

 smaller cells like bacteria and plant building cells, that 

 is, the forming of spores, which I must mention here 

 briefly. A spore is a cell protected with a hard covering 

 against wind, weather and climate, wherein it can remain 

 until favorable conditions shall arise to perform the or- 

 dinary functions of life or to begin the building of a new 

 structure. Some spores, however, are able to swim about 

 actively until they find their mates or places to locate and 

 build their new structures, whether plant or animal. 



The following is from our High School Botany in re- 

 gard to these individuals called spores : 



"Any one of these cells may produce within itself a sin- 

 gle large swimming spore, which escapes from the mother 

 cell into the water. At its more pointed clear end, there 

 is a little crown of cilia by means of which it swims about 

 rapidly. These spores finally anchor themselves and each 

 one produces a new filament. It has been observed that 

 these small swimming cells come together in pairs and 

 fuse, each pair thus forming one new cell. The cell thus 

 formed passes through a resting period (usually during 

 winter) then begins to grow and finally produces four 

 swimming spores, each of which is able to produce a new 

 filament of ulothrix. Here is evidently a third method of 

 reproduction, which is peculiar in the fact that two spe- 



