REPAIRS AND REGENERATION 99 



Over the phenomena as exhibited in the vege- 

 table kingdom we need not delay, for most people 

 will be familiar with the manner in which begonias 

 may be propagated by means of very small portions 

 of the parent plant, from which entire specimens 

 are reconstructed, and everybody, however ignorant 

 of horticulture, must have seen cuttings being 

 " struck," that is to say fragments of a plant, say a 

 carnation, set in the ground and gradually con- 

 structing for themselves roots so as to become com- 

 plete plants. 



It will be more interesting to devote the space 

 which can be allotted to this part of the subject to 

 a consideration of some instances from the animal 

 kingdom and we may commence with the classical 

 instance of the hydra. It is interesting to note 

 that the first experiments on this creature were 

 made by a Catholic ecclesiastic, and that the first 

 experiments in regeneration amongst vertebrates 

 were made by another, so that here, as indeed in 

 many other scientific subjects we find the figure of 

 a cleric first treading a new path of scientific 

 investigation. 



The hydra is a small fresh-water creature, of a Hydra 

 bright green colour and somewhat resembling a 

 sea anemone, though very much smaller and of a 

 more elongated build. It was on this creature that 

 the Abb6 Trembley carried out his classical experi- 



