174 Life and Love. 



resemble each other in form, in disposition, in 

 voice ; there is Httle to distinguish them. As repro- 

 ductive maturity approaches, a subtle change passes 

 over them ; gradually each creature frees itself from 

 the uniformity of childhood, and becomes an indi- 

 vidual with distinct personality and marked charac- 

 teristics. 



The whole structure, as we know, responds to 

 the stimulus : the female grows more distinctly fem- 

 inine in outline, less rugged, more delicate; the 

 male acquires a new robustness, grows large and 

 powerful, with increased strength to match the in- 

 creased size. 



This is life at the crest of the wave. Growth 

 ceases, the creature lives on for a certain time, full 

 of vigor and power, perfect in every part. In the 

 higher life the sex development, as a part of the 

 general body development, so powerfully affects 

 the life that one almost loses sight of the primitive 

 meaning of reproduction, — that it is the forerun- 

 ner of certain dissolution. 



The universal baby form is lost, the individual 

 form is found; the larva becomes the imago. 



In the lower life, change of form is to human 

 ken the most conspicuous change ; in the higher 

 life this is no more marked than the change of 

 mind and disposition. 



The gentle, playful Jersey calf, for instance, in 

 taking on the ponderous form of adult life under- 

 goes a change of mind and heart as well. He 



