ANIMAL LIFE GENERATION. 35 j 



tion. In recent biology two other very sig- 

 nificant processes have sprung out of this 

 line of animal Forms, known as ontogeny 

 and phylogeny (already described). 



In the creeping lizard we may easily see a 

 prophecy of the human organism with the 

 latter fully developed before us. Indeed the 

 homologies of man's organism have been 

 traced back to the protozoon. But what fu- 

 ture development of the animate Form does 

 man's organism prophesy? Or is with it the 

 chapter of organic development closed? Are 

 there in him any glimpses of that ideal Form 

 toward which the entire line of animality 

 seems to be moving? The front fin of a fish 

 may prophesy the foreleg and paw of a cat, 

 which member heralds the toes of the ourang- 

 outang, while these forecast the human fin- 

 gers but what do the latter prophesy? Can 

 any scientist point out a hint of what is com- 

 ing? The question has the implication that 

 man, having become conscious of evolution, 

 may have henceforth to be consciously evo- 

 lutionary. Is he to take Evolution out of the 

 merely unconscious instinct of Nature, where 

 it has lain hitherto, and to direct it by his 

 self-conscious reason? Some maintain that 

 the human body has reached its limit of com- 

 plete Evolution; others say that our organ- 

 ism contains many undeveloped organs which 



