THE WORM. 179 



theory. What is life, in brutes, he might have 

 said, or where does it reside ? In some we find it 

 so diffused, that every part seems to maintain a 

 vivacious principle, and the same animal appears 

 possessed of a thousand distinct irrational souls 

 at the same time. But let us not, he would say, 

 give so noble a name to such contemptible powers, 

 but rank the vivifying principle in these with the 

 sap that rises in vegetables, or the moisture that 

 contracts a cord, or the heat that puts water into 

 motion! Nothing, in fact, deserves the name of 

 soul, but that which reasons, that which under- 

 stands, and by knowing God, receives the mark 

 of its currency, and is minted with the impression 

 of its great Creator. 



Such might have been the speculations of this 

 philosopher ; however, to leave theory, it will be 

 sufficient to say, that we owe the first discovery 

 of this power of reproduction in animals to Mr 

 Trembley, who first observed it in the polypus ; 

 and, after him, Spalanzani and others found it 

 taking place in the earth-worm, the sea-worm, 

 and several other ill-formed animals of a like kind, 

 which were susceptible of this new mode of pro- 

 pagation. This last philosopher has tried several 

 experiments upon the earth-worm, many of which 

 succeeded according to his expectation. Every 

 earth-worm, however, did not retain the vivacious 

 principle with the same obstinacy : some, when 

 cut in two, were entirely destroyed ; others sur- 

 vived only in the nobler part, and while the head 

 was living the tail entirely perished, and a new 

 one was seen to bourgeon from the extremity. 



