CAUSE OF HEREDITY 303 



it. Its enemy then approaches and quickly thrusts forth 

 from its mouth an organ shaped like a tongue, relatively 

 long and resembling a transparent cylindrical rod; the 

 free, extended extremity of this rod it fastens upon some 

 part of the paramecium's body. The latter is then grad- 

 ually brought near, by the recession of this tongue shaped 

 organ towards the buccal aperture of the didinium, which 

 opens wide, assuming the shape of a vast funnel in which 

 the prey is swallowed up." 



We have hei;e a single cell who has built around him- 

 self an armor hard as stone for his own protection in bat- 

 tle with other cells or enemies. He has made holes in 

 regular rows around his body covering, through which he 

 sticks hands, with which he paddles himself through the 

 water. He also makes hundreds of darts or little spears, 

 which he carries with him while hunting for other smaller 

 cells and with which he is able to strike and kill from a 

 distance his victims, which he devours as his food. He 

 must be able to see and judge distances, or else how could 

 he guess or know when his victim was within striking 

 distance? He must be able to feel and taste or else how 

 could he tell when he had hold of it or what he was eating, 

 and so on, all through his different performances. This 

 being is a cell. It multiplies by dividing in two, in the 

 same manner as all cells, including the cells that build the 

 human being and plants. In what manner do the actions 

 of this cell differ from those of a human being as far as 

 showing intelligence, considering simply the actions 

 themselves, and not the size of the actor? In what man- 

 ner do his actions in covering himself with an armor 

 differ from the same actions by man? In what manner 

 do his actions in making weapons and in hunting other 

 animals for a living differ from those same actions per- 

 formed by man? 



