4 The Story of the Bacteria 



doing certain things in the way of movements 

 or of elaboration of peculiar chemical products, 

 etc., and these are called their functions. 



It will be observed that in enumerating 

 these activities I have spoken of them not as 

 characteristic of man, or of any special animal 

 or plant, but of living things in general. All 

 life finds expression in these ways. The means 

 by which the living being does these things 

 may be in one case exceedingly primitive, and 

 in another very complicated, but this does not 

 alter the essential character of the ends which 

 it achieves. 



If you tie a bit of muslin over a water faucet 

 and allow the water to trickle slowly through 

 it for a few hours, you will find on removing 

 it that a more or less abundant greenish scum 

 has collected on the cloth. Wash this care- 

 fully into an open dish, and let it remain for a 

 few days in a light warm place, and then 

 examine the sediment under a microscope, 

 and you will find a very celebrated creature. 

 It is called an amoeba. It looks like a little 

 lump of transparent or slightly granular jelly. 

 You will see it thrusting out portions of itself 



