S36 The tJmty of the Organism 



Nearly all large libraries have sets of the reports of this 

 famous exploring expedition. 



So astounding was the wealth of life both as to number 

 of species and elaborateness of structure of the individuals 

 described and depicted in this report, that many zoologists 

 who had been properly impressed in their formal training 

 with the doctrine of the simplicity and minuteness of the 

 protozoa, were disposed for a long time to accept the re- 

 port with some "grains of salt" — to suspect that many of 

 the specially remarkable species were, partly at least, crea- 

 tures of the lively imaginations of Haeckel and his artist. 

 But later researches, particularly those of V. Haecker, al- 

 ready mentioned, on tjie same animals collected on the cruise 

 of the Valdivia, of the German Deep-Sea Expedition, have 

 driven away all shadows of doubt about the essential truth- 

 fulness of Haeckel's narrations. Indeed, we now know, if 

 anything, he fell short of full justice to the Radiolarians. 



I take this opportunity to remark that one of the serious, 

 even though perhaps unavoidable, defects of formal instruc- 

 tion in elementary zoology and botany is the tendency to 

 fix in the learner's mind the notion that nature is far more 

 simple tlian it really is. Of course, the only right antidote 

 for this falsification is contact with nature itself in its plen- 

 itude. But since school books and school lessons are main- 

 ly responsible for the wrong inculcuations, on the principle 

 that like cures like, books again, though this time of the 

 elaborate monographic sort, even though no more than 

 hastily run through, ought to be of considerable use to 

 young students. Quite as much with the hope of sending 

 the reader to Haeckel's or one of the other great mono- 

 graphs on the Radiolaria, as for the purpose of impressing 

 him with the elaborateness of organization of these animals, 

 I will refer specifically to a section of Haeckel's Report. 



One entire new family discovered in the Challenger's col- 

 lections, Haeckel named Medusetta. The author gives us 



