24 The Mycetozoa, and 



part grow upward i.e., against the force of gravity is one 

 worth a good deal of thinking about, and when we look at 

 the mass of fluid and solid matter raised every year, 

 especially in the springtime, against the constant operation 

 of the force of gravity, we get a notion of the magnitude 

 of a force exerted by plants, to which we can assign no 

 other origin than life, and give no other name than that 

 of a living force. 



It has been found with regard to the plasmodium of the 

 flowers of tan that it has a curious tendency to move 

 against the flow of water ; thus, if one end of a piece of 

 filter paper be placed in a vessel filled with water and the 

 other on the table, so that the water flows downward, the 

 Fuligo will move up the paper, and if the paper be so 

 arranged that the water shall move up the paper, the 

 Fuligo will move down. 



Some observers believe that the myxie takes only such 

 food as comes in its way ; Mr. Lister believes that it uses its 

 vibrating cilia to detect food ; whilst others think they have 

 observed that food exercises an attraction on plasmodia 

 and influences their movements ; thus, to return to the 

 flowers of tan, a piece of tan or of wood steeped in tan has 

 been seen, according to some observations, to induce the 

 plasmodium to draw itself towards it, and that without 

 reference to its position as regards the force of gravity. 

 There seems no reason to doubt the accuracy of these 

 observations. Here, then, we see in the primitive form of 

 naked protoplasm that search after food which exercises 

 so enormous an influence on the whole animal and vegetable 



