Distribution of Heredity 349 



which addition precedes division. It is fair to assume that 

 in the primitive proto-cell which is invisible, conjugation 

 generally precedes division; and that the normal constitu- 

 tion of a cell about to divide is that of a cell recently conju- 

 gated of two, or of many more with a minimum representa- 

 tion of two. 



It is not necessary to suppose that this method is at first 

 inevitable. If it is considered to be possible, and if it occurs 

 and shows advantage, in competition with other methods, 

 then it would survive them. And if it did (as seems likely) 

 open the way to the great advantage of sexual reproduction, 

 then its survival, and evolution above other forms, is easily 

 understood; and when we consider also its primitive value 

 in the cumulative efifect of simple conjugation, its value is 

 again apparent. And finally the first noted result, the distri- 

 bution of acquired character and the unifying effect among 

 the species, is of high consequence and will appear later in 

 a new aspect still more important. It is the mechanism by 

 which a multitude of creatures may preserve uniformity of 

 desires and purposes, in collective mutual activity, and thus 

 it is at the root of a race heredity. 



