274 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 10. 



of division of labor. Haeckel supposes, fi-om 

 the almost universal appearance of nuclei 

 in cells, that this differentiation, into nu- 

 cleus and cytoplasm, must have taken place 

 at a comparatively early period, and that all 

 of the forms of life which have a nucleus 

 must have been derived fi-om one earlj' nu- 

 cleated type, for he is a firm believer in the 

 inheritance of acquired characters. 



The primitive plants, from which all of 

 the organic world has been derived, are 

 called ' Probiontes ' or archephyta. From 

 this primitive stem, which was non-nu- 

 cleated type, and composed of absoliitely 

 homogeneous protoplasm viithout indica- 

 tions even of the ' micellae,' of Hertwig, or 

 the ' Schaumplasma,' of Butschli, were given 

 off the primitive nucleated plant tj'pes of the 

 Flagellata in one direction, and the primi- 

 tive non-nucleated animal (Moneran) tj^jes 

 in another. In addition to these two de- 

 rivatives there was a third, which repre- 

 sents the original chlorophyl bearing plant. 

 These were the Cyanophycea or Chromacea?, 

 in which the chlorophyl is not in the form 

 of small plates, but exists as a diffuse color- 

 ing matter within the cell. From these 

 forms, which also were non-nucleated, the 

 Bacteria arose by a process of metasitism. 



In the primitive plant types of Flagellata 

 the nuclei have not acquired a distinct dif- 

 ferentiation, but remain absolutely homo- 

 geneous (i. 6., not divisible into nuclein, pa- 

 ranuclein, etc.), and therefore represent the 

 first and most primitive forms of nuclear dif- 

 ferentiation. These are not derived from the 

 Monera or non-nucleated animal tj'pes, but 

 come directly from the primitive plant tj'pe 

 or the Archephyta. He gives the name 

 Mastigota to these early flagellated plant 

 cells which belong to the class of Palmel- 

 laceffi, and from them he derives all of the 

 higher plants and animals, the latter aris- 

 ing polyphyleticallj' by the process of meta- 

 sitism. The rise of the higher animals and 

 of man is traced in a direct line down to 



these primitive plants. The first step ia 

 the scale is the origin of the animal Flagel- 

 lates by change in the method of nutrition 

 and consequent loss of chlorophyl or allied- 

 bodies. Then comes the formation of col- 

 onies and gradual division of labor untU 

 the highest type of protozoon organization 

 is attained. This tj'pe is represented by 

 the form Catallacfa, which is thus the con- 

 necting link between the protozoa and meta- 

 zoa. Volvox occupies a similar position in 

 the phjdogeny of the higher plants in their 

 relations to the protophjiia. 



In genei'al it may be said that this part 

 of the ' Sj^stematische Phjlogenie ' is a re- 

 vision of the earlier views of Haeckel. The 

 one essentiallj^ new feature is the division 

 line which he makes between plants and 

 animals. This border line has been the 

 subject of contention between zoologists and 

 botanists for ages, and now he proposes to 

 form a hard and fast distinction. The di- 

 viding line is the ability of the organisms, 

 whatever they may be, to form chlorophyl 

 or similar bodies, and thus to derive nourish- 

 ment, in conjunction with solar energy, fi-om 

 inorganic substances. This, as may readily 

 be svipposed, makes havoc with our existing 

 classifications, and the changes will be ac- 

 cepted, if ever, only after much contention. 

 For example, the Fungi (Chytridiacese, 

 Zj^gomj'cetes and Ovomycetes) are taken 

 from the vegetable kingdom and transferred 

 to the animal, and with them the Saccharo- 

 mycetes ( j^east) and the Bacteria. The lat- 

 ter he claims have absolutely no connection 

 with the fungi — " Indessen beruht diese Auf- 

 fassting nur auf der Macht der dogmatkclien 

 Tradition und nicht auf welchem rationellen 

 Urtheil " — is Haeckel's forcible way of repre- 

 senting this position. 



On the other hand, manj^ of our so-called 

 Protozoa are taken into the Pi-otophyte di- 

 vision of plants. All forms wliich have 

 coloring matter in the form of chlorophyl, 

 and are, therefore, holophj-tic in their mode 



