144 LIFE AND HABIT. 



As regards the dispersion of one identity into many, 

 this also is a matter of daily observation in the case 

 of all female creatures that are with egg or young; 

 the identity of the young with the female parent 

 is in many respects so complete, as to need no enforc- 

 ing, in spite of the entrance into the offspring of all the 

 elements derived from the male parent, and of the 

 gradual separation of the two identities, which becomes 

 more and more complete, till in time it is hard to 

 conceive that they can ever have been united. 



Numbers, therefore, go for nothing ; and, as far as 

 identity or continued personality goes, it is as fair to 

 say to the two fowls, above referred to, " you were 

 four fowls twelve months ago," as it is to say to a 

 dozen eggs, " you were two eggs twelve months ago." 

 But here a difficulty meets us ; for if we say, " you 

 were two eggs twelve months ago," it follows that we 

 mean, " you are now those two eggs ; " just as when we 

 say to a person, " you were such and such a boy 

 twenty years ago," we mean, " you are now that boy, 

 or all that represents him ; " it would seem, then, that 

 in like manner we should say to the two fowls, " you 

 are the four fowls who between them laid the two eggs 

 from which you sprung." But it may be that all these 

 four fowls are still to be seen running about ; we 

 should be therefore saying, " you two fowls are really 

 not yourselves only, but you are also the other four 

 fowls into the bargain ; " and this might be philoso- 

 phically true, and might, perhaps, be considered so, 

 but for the convenience of the law courts. 



The difficulty would seem to arise from the fact 



