112 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE CHAP. 



alls, and Butterfly as stages in the life-history 

 of a single individual. But among Zoophytes, 

 and even among some insects, one larva often 

 produces several mature forms. In some 

 species these mature forms remain attached to 

 the larval stock, and we might be disposed to 

 regard the whole as one complex organism. 

 But in others they detach themselves and lead 

 an independent existence. 



These considerations then introduce much 

 difficulty into our conception of the idea of an 

 Individual. 



ANIMAL IMMORTALITY 



But, further than this, we are confronted by 

 by another problem. If we regard a mass of 

 coral as an individual because it arises by 

 continuous growth from a single egg, then it 

 follows that some corals must be thousands of 

 years old. 



Some of the lower animals may be cut into 

 pieces, and each piece will develop into an 



