THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



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history of the development of germs^ spores^ ova^ and 

 spermatic elements^ tends to show us most convincingly 

 that independent and even active^ newly-formed Living 



r 



Units^ have at first no trace of a cell-wall — this being 

 a product which is subsequently formed. Then^ we 

 have ascertained^ also^ that some of these when first 

 they present themselves exhibit no trace of a nucleus 

 such being the case with the actively moving progeny 

 of Frotomyxa and many other organisms. The germs 

 or spores ot these are mere masses of living matter 

 protoplasmic in nature. They present no trace of cell- 

 wall or of bounding membrane^ and there is a similar 

 absence of anything like a nucleus or nucleolus. It 

 matters not^ therefore^ if in certain other cases (as in the 

 formation of spores within the asci of Peziza and other 

 fungi) we do find nuclei making their appearance in 

 the midst of the living matter, before this has begun 

 to show any traces of its approaching segmentation. 

 Such primary appearance of nuclei, when it occurs, 

 should not be regarded as a necessary preliminary, or 

 one which is in any way causative of those changes 

 which are about to follow. How could we come to 

 such a conclusion^ when, in so many instances, similar 



processes of segmentation may be seen taking place In 



living matter where no such nuclei exist '^ This matter 



itself 



therefore, perfectly homogeneous save 



for the 



presence of a few minute granules scattered here and 

 there_, is the real elementary life-stufF— that which already 

 possesses the properties of a living thing, and which 



