1880. | - Recent Literature. . 883 
A MANUAL oF THE InFusortA..—The first installment of 144 
pages of this work impresses us with the belief that the English 
reading student who desires to become acquainted with the 
. remarkable animals of which it treats, should take early measures 
to secure a copy. The execution of the work, both as to illustra- 
tions and text, is excellent, while its size is convenient for actual 
students. The author introduces us to the objects of his studies 
in a highly agreeable manner, rendering even the details of the 
history of their successive discovery interesting. The scientific 
results are important, including some systematic views which will 
at least aid in the analysis of the forms included in the class. 
Thirteen divisions are recognized which fall into four orders, viz: 
the Pantostomata, Discostomata, Hustomata and Polystomata. 
Mr. Kent devotes a chapter to spontaneous generation, and we 
make some extracts treating of this obscure and interesting 
subject. 
“The general conclusions deducible from the long array of 
evidence now produced with respect to the question of ‘ spon- 
taneous generation,’ or ‘ abiogenesis, may now be briefly sum- 
marized. From every line of inquiry investigated, one and the 
Same answer is invariably returned. Life in its most humble and 
obscure form, be it existent as impalpable germinal dust floating 
in the atmosphere, or shaken from a truss of hay, or manifested 
in its more active state as the minute monads, bacteria and other 
organisms developed in infusions, teils everywhere the same un- 
varying tale. Traced backwards to its origin, or forwards to its 
ultimate development, each type is found by patient search to be 
derived, not de novo out of dead or inorganic elements, but from 
a specific parental form identical in all respects with itself, and 
whose life-cycle is as true and complete as that, even, of man 
himself, * *, + 
“In order to arrive at a comprehensive insight into the life 
phenomena and progressive developmental manifestations of the 
weeks. The water added to the hay was of the purest possible 
description, and was frequently boiled for some time to prevent 
the introduction of extraneous germs. In all instances the results 
obtained were broadly and fundamentally the same, and differed 
only with respect to the specific types found living together in the 
Separate infusions. Even here, however, the general dominance 
of two or more special forms was notably apparent. Commencing 
with the first wetting and simultaneous examination of any given 
A Manual of the Infusoria ; including a description of all tte ail 
vo. 
1 
Ciliate and Yentaculiferous Protozoa, By W. SAVILLE KENT, F.L.S. oy. 
London, David Boyne, 1880. 
