^. 





11^1*. 



Asclefm 



iroof even is 

 :ioned. M 



i 



) modilicate 

 lokcUr. Tte' 



;• 



:ommoii Ek' 

 Ferent fan 

 lumber of ^ 

 having # 

 olated, or * 



,» 



m 



aflil 



other, 

 retimes 



t 



ir 



ay 



obse^^'^' 



r^^ BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



323 



in i860, I had become aware that corpuscles, which 

 coloured violet under the influence of iodine, frequently 

 replaced the tetrahedrons after putrefaction; but, at 

 this period, I had not seen the transition from the one 

 to the other. I was more fortunate this year. I have 

 seen the tetrahedrons themselves, containing amyla- 

 ceous matter, forming columns, tinted with the most 

 beautiful violet colour. I have seen the tetrahedrons 

 become elongated at one of their angles, and pass 

 gradually into these curious little plants, by producing a 

 cylindrical outgrowth. In this case, the rounded or still 

 bark whid E angular tetrahedron represented the bulb, but the tetra- 



hedron occasionally became completely obliterated, and 

 left in its place only a little fusiform or cylindrical 



vegetal organism.' 



This is indeed an example which, in point of cer- 

 tainty and freedom from possible sources of error to 

 a skilled observer^ seems almost unsurpassable. If a 

 crystalline mass of matter is seen slowly to alter its 

 form and become bodily converted into a vegetating 

 organism^ one could not have evidence of a more con- 

 vincing nature. Only one explanation of such a fact 

 is possible — hence M. Trecul is quite entitled to say ^ : 



'De tous les faits qui precedent, il resulte que la 



mature organtque contenue dans certalnes cellules peut se 

 transformer^ pendant la putrefaction^ en corps vtvants de 

 nature tres-dijferente de I e spice generatrices 



^ Loc. cit,, p. 435 





