102 EMBRYONIC BIOPLASM. 



and in white or colourless corpuscles may be seen, but 

 not so easily, in the bioplasm of young epithelial cells, 

 in that of cartilage, the cornea, connective tissue, and 

 other textures, and there can be no doubt whatever 

 that all bioplasm possesses the power of movement, 

 and that by virtue of this power of movement the 

 several masses are able to take up the positions 

 they respectively occupy in all the different tissues 

 which they form, and in the preservation and main- 

 tenance of which, in a state of integrity, they play so 

 highly important a part as long as life lasts. 



Embryonic Bioplasm. The growth and multipli- 

 cation of bioplasm at an early period of development 

 may be studied in an embryo, and many highly import- 

 ant observations may be made if the growing tissues 

 of the chrysalis of the common blow-fly be submitted 

 to examination, especially when they have been suc- 

 cessfully stained by the carmine fluid. A mass of 

 formless bioplasm invariably represents the earliest 

 stage of development of every tissue and organ. The 

 bioplasm, which is concerned in the formation of the 

 special tissues, emanates from this, and in many 

 cases a sort of temporary structure is formed in the 

 first instance in which the development of the higher 

 tissue afterwards takes place. Some suppose that the 

 particles of bioplasm are formed anew, but this is 

 certainly not the case. They have been invariably 

 derived from pre-existing bioplasm. In the forma- 

 tion of the tissues of the imago or perfect insect 



