40 THE WHENCE AND THE WHITEEB OF MAN 



diTision. But the division is not complete ; the new 

 individuals remain connected by the undivided rear 

 end of the body. And such a colony may come to 

 contain a large number of individuals. 



Such a colony is represented by magosphsera. This 

 is a microscopic globular form, discovered by Professor 

 Haeckel on the coast of Norway. It consists of a 



large number of 

 conical or pear- 

 shaped individual 

 cells, whose apices 

 are turned toward 

 the centre of the 

 sphere. The cells 

 are cemented to- 

 gether by a mucila- 

 ginous substance. 

 Around their ex- 

 posed larger ends, 

 which form the sur- 



2. MAGOSPtt^RA PLAKUIyA. LANS, PKOM HAECKEL. IQ-Ce Ol tD.6 SpnCre, 



are rows of flagel- 

 la, by whose united action the colony rolls through the 

 water. After a time each individual absorbs its fla- 

 gella, the colony is broken up, the different individuals 

 settle to the bottom, and each gives rise by division to 

 a new colony. This group of cells may be considered 

 as a colony or as an individual. Each term is de- 

 fensible. 



Volvox is also a spheroidal organism, composed of- 

 ten of a very large number of flagellated cells. But it 

 differs from magosphsera in certain important respects. 

 In the first place its cells have chlorophyl, the green 



