30 SURVEY OF THE REPRODUCTIVE PROCESS 



There is reason to believe that future researches will 

 show that conjugation, or some cognate process, is of very- 

 general occurrence among these low forms of organization, 

 for if any modification of digenesis may be held to extend 

 to the most rudimentary forms of living matter, it is most 

 likely to be that in which there is little or no differentiation 

 of sex. Alternation of form, too, must prevail to some ex- 

 tent, if the suspicions of naturalists be correct as to many 

 of the reputed species being merely transitory phases of 

 others. At present, however, all is conjecture on the sub- 

 ject, and the only well-ascertained phenomena of the kind 

 are those just noticed as occurring as a preliminary (or pro- 

 tomorphic) stage in the germination of certain spores. 



A tabular view is here subjoined of some points in the 

 development and reproduction of the orders of algae just 

 referred to : — 



