MONERA, THE BASE OF THE PEDIGREE, 39 



complete pedigree. We lack, and shall ever lack, the indis- 

 pensable palseontological foundations. The most ancient 

 records will ever remain sealed to us, for reasons which 

 have been previovisly mentioned. The most ancient organ- 

 isms which arose by spontaneous generation — the original 

 parents of all subsequent organisms — must necessarily be 

 supposed to have been Monera — simple, soft, albuminous 

 lumps, without structure, without any definite forms, and 

 entirely without any hard and formed parts. They and 

 their next offspring were consequently not in any way 

 capable of being preserved in a petrified condition. But we 

 also lack, for reasons discussed in detail in the preceding 

 chapter, by far the greater portion of the innumerable 

 palseontological documents, which are really requisite for a 

 safe reconstruction of the history of animal tribes, or 

 phylogeny, and for the true knowledge of the pedigree of 

 organisms. If we, therefore, in spite of this, venture to 

 undertake their hypothetical construction, we must chiefly 

 depend for guidance on the two other series of records 

 which most essentially supplement the palaeontological 

 archives. These are ontogeny and comparative anatomy. 



If thoughtfully and carefully we consult these most 

 valuable records, we at once perceive what is exceedingly 

 significant, namely, that by far the greater number of 

 organisms, especially all higher animals and plants, are com- 

 posed of a great number of cells, and that they originate out 

 of an egg, and that this egg, in animals as well as in plants, 

 is a single, perfectly simple cell — a little lump of albuminous 

 constitution, in which another albuminous corpuscle, 

 the cell-kernel, is enclosed. This cell containing its kernel 

 grows and becomes enlarged. By division it forms an 



