THE PECULIAR FACULTIES 275 



In the production of-living bodies, both animal and plant, nature 

 was originally obliged to create the simplest organisation in the most 

 fragile bodies, where it was impossible to estabhsh any special organs. 

 She soon had to endow these bodies with the faculty of multiplying, 

 for otherwise she would everywhere have been occupied with creations, 

 and this is beyond her power. Now since she could not give her 

 earliest productions the faculty of multiplying by any special system 

 of organs, she hit upon the plan of giving it through the medium of 

 growth, which is common to all Uving bodies. She conferred the faculty 

 of undergoing divisions, at first of the entire body, and afterwards 

 of certain projecting portions of the body ; in this way were produced 

 gemmae and the various reproductive bodies, which are only parts 

 that grow out, become separated, and continue to hve after their 

 separation, and which need no fertiUsation, form no embryo, develop 

 without the rupture of any membrane, and yet after growth resemble 

 the individuals from which they spring. 



Such is the method employed by nature for the multiphcation of 

 those animals and plants, to which she could not give the comphcated 

 apparatus of sexual reproduction ; it would be in vain to seek any 

 such apparatus in the algae and fungi, or in the infusorians and polyps. 



When the male and female organs are united in the same individual, 

 that individual is said to be hermaphrodite. 



In this case a distinction must be drawn between perfect herma- 

 phroditism, which is sufficient to itself, and that which is imperfect 

 and not sufficient to itself. Indeed many plants are hermaphrodites, 

 in which the individual suffices to itself for fertiUsation ; but in animals, 

 which combine the two sexes, it is not yet proved by observation that 

 the individuals are sufficient to themselves ; and it is known that many 

 truly hermaphrodite molluscs none the less fertihse one another. 

 It is true that, among hermaphrodite molluscs, those which have a 

 bi-valve shell and are fixed, Kke oysters, must apparently fertihse 

 themselves : it is however possible that they may fertilise one another 

 mutually through the medium in which they are immersed. If this 

 is so, there are among animals only imperfect hermaphrodites ; and 

 it is known that, among vertebrates, there are not even any true 

 hermaphrodites at all. Perfect hermaphrodites will thus be confined 

 to plants. 



The character of hermaphroditism consists in the combination of 

 the two sexes in one individual, but it seems that the monoecious 

 plants constitute an exception ; for although a monoecious shrub or 

 tree carries both sexes, its individual flowers are none the less uni- 

 sexual. 



I_mayji:gaaark in this connection that it is wrong to give the name 



