148 VITALISM AND SCHOLASTICISM 





\jvariably seeks out one and one only, namely 

 ^Spirogyra and makes its meal off that. 



Obviously it finds that the Spirogyra suits 

 it best or, as we should put it, it prefers 

 Spirogyra to any other kind of food, just as 

 we too have our preferences in the same 

 matter. 



The same observer in relating the habits of 

 Colpodella another unicellular organism, called Colpodella 

 pugnax, tells us that it lives solely on an alga 

 called Chlamydomonas, whose chlorophyll, or 

 green colouring substance, it sucks. Cien- 

 kowski says that the behaviour of this lowly 

 organism in hunting after and obtaining its 

 favourite nourishment is so remarkable that 

 one is led to believe that one sees the operations 

 of conscious life in it. 



It is possible that some might argue that the 

 attraction between these minute organisms and 

 their food was entirely of a chemical character, 

 but if so the argument must clearly be extended 

 to all classes of living things and their food, 

 and that would lead us on to conclusions, when 

 we consider our own habits in respect to food, 

 which few would be found to accept. 



Amongst the Foraminifera, however, we can 

 find instances which cannot be accounted for 

 in this way. 



These also are unicellular and microscopic 



Foramini- 

 fera 



