^F 



IIF^^ 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



93 



^< 



^^sion 



c^curs 

 tc 



or 



in 



the 





i: 



Thus « reproduction ' amongst such simple organisms 



is, after all, nothing but discontinuous growth. This 



simple interpretation of the distinctive peculiarity of 



^ tt; living things was long ago pointed out by Prof. Huxley • 



^^^'^ ^ givti and the fact that growth is frequently discontinuous in 



inifest 



in the; living matter flows directly, as we have hinted, from 



indamental dl the circumstance of the extreme molecular mobility of 



-t tliat the o: its constituent units. All the higher modes of repro- 

 iggregate. As: Auction which are to be witnessed in living things are 

 - growth of tie ^^^ specializations of the process of ^gemmation/ 

 Liic other is fe ^^ reason of the molecular mobility of <^living' matter, 

 -^^ 4.- r ' and the continuous rearrangements brought about therein 

 , J ^ . under the influence of ordinary physical conditions, it 

 . ^^^ \ gradually becomes more and more complex in internal 

 ^' ^ structure, and also undergoes variations in its external 



w 



form^. But to whatsoever grades of development organ- 

 . . . . g^ isms may have attained, the reproductive faculty (due to 

 I insubordination ail the power of discontinuous growth) still remains as one 

 units or cells, asfc Qf ^^ chief characteristics of living things. And it 

 1 independent ^^^ always happens, that suitable portions thrown oj9F from 

 ^^^"^ . , .^g^torft the parent organism have the power of developing into 

 that consist of ^' organisms of a similar kind — however complex and 



Itle mutual dep^J 



lOng pl^^^^' . and these seem the best fitted for the purpose. Multicentral develop- 



the''' 



, direction, as ^ 

 of parts- ,, 



J parts 

 ^1 stnictu^^' 



Off' 



isl 



ment, then, is divisible into continuous and discontinuous.' (,' Principles 

 of Biology,' vol. i. p. 135.) 



^ Abundant evidence on this subject will be found in Appendix D. 

 Many of the changes there recorded far surpass the metamorphoses 

 brought about in such crystals as those of mercuric iodide under the 



• • - ^ cc"'^'^ these metamorphoses, 



:t of ^ ej^^5 flot, 



^ T" distill?^' ' influence of new conditions— though they are otherwise comparable with 

 • • • ^ co'^'. these metamorphoses. 



1 



