1884.} Colonial Organisms. 243 
even in the highest of the Arthropoda, the insects, the original 
individuality of the segments is not quite lost in the mature 
state. The primitively individual members of the colony stub- 
bornly resist the cession of their separate functions, and only 
partially yield to the common needs. This persistent individu- 
ality of the segment is partly manifest in their legs and wings, 
which are appendages of separate segments; but more particu- 
larly in the segmental succession of their nervous, muscular and 
respiratory organs, and in their segmented chitinous armor. In- 
deed, the Crustaceans and Insects indicate a lateral as well as a 
longitudinal development of individual segments, for the limbs 
present significant traces of an origin in the budding process. 
They appear, in fact, to be a series of specialized segments which 
have become greatly degraded from their original organic com- 
pleteness through disuse of the internal organs, Each possesses 
its muscles, its chitinous armor and what may represent its intes- 
tinal cavity. The successive joints of the limbs appear to result 
from a continuance of the budding process. This seems evi- 
denced by their power of reproduction by budding, when broken 
off at the joint, and also by the lateral budding which frequently 
takes place at the extremities of the limbs. 
As for the reproduction of the Arthropoda, it tends to disguise 
their colonial origin, yet only partly so. They are usually born 
as partially developed colonies, resembling the Annelida in gen- 
eral configuration. But this merely indicates an acceleration of 
development, or an embryological growth to a considerable ex- 
‘ent through the aid of maternally-provided nutriment. In the 
insects, the ants and bees, the parental care js continued 
until maturity. The growth of the embryo from nutriment pro- 
vided by the maternal body in no essential sense differs from its 
Continued growth from nutriment provided by the workers, and 
it is not thrown upon its own resources until maturity. This is 
final and highest outcome of the colonial method of animal 
Meas n, one in which the members of the colony have become 
ioe ded together and subordinated as to have almost vanished 
‘om Observation, and in which the young begins its individual 
in the mature state. 
a sarani we have here given of the method of development 
2 idual animals through a process of colonization, and the — 
ee different consideration of this topic see “ The Evolution of Or- 
> Popular Science Monthly, Nov., 1880. 
