22 Compound Organisms and their Lessons. [January, 
The Naididae, however, afford us a case of compound life 
in the great group of the Annulosa. Cirrhatula , a genus 
near akin to Nads, is reproduced by budding, and, as we have 
seen, budding involves compound personality. Both Cirr- 
hatula and Nais are water-worms, provided with tentacles at 
the head, and with a pair of leg-like processes attached to 
each segment. If one of these creatures is observed for a 
sufficient length of time it will be found to be constricted at 
some point towards the hinder part of its body. The part 
behind the constriction or narrowing grows in length, gains 
more segments each with its legs, and develops a head with 
eyes. But it still for a time remains attached by its head to 
the mother, from whom it derives its sustenance. It may 
happen that before the young individual has become fully 
perfected, and detaches itself, a third portion begins the 
process of assuming a distinct organisation. Thus Prof. 
Muller found three individuals adhering together in one 
length in a manner that may be familiarly illustrated by a 
link of sausages. “ The mother had thirty footed segments ; 
the youngest daughter, or the one nearest the mother, had 
eleven, but the head was not yet developed. The most re- 
mote had seventeen rings, with a head and eyes, and the 
tail of the mother. The intermediate specimen had also 
seventeen rings and a head.” Successively these portions, 
as they become fully developed, detach themselves and start 
on an independent career, producing new individuals in the 
same manner. 
It is worthy of note that these portions successively de- 
tached are without organs for the production of eggs, the 
last-formed individual forming an exception. Here we find 
a faCt which re-occurs in a modified form among certain 
inseCts. 
Here, again, we find relations so different from those which 
prevail among ourselves and our near kindred in the animal 
world that our common terminology proves misleading. 
We have called that portion of the Nais which includes the 
original head the “ mother,” and the portions which develop 
heads of their own “ daughters.” But everyone will see that 
in so doing we are taking liberties with the words. What- 
ever consciousness such creatures possess — and we have 
certainly no rational warrant for pronouncing them uncon- 
scious — must be common to the entire series up to the date 
of their separation. Let us suppose a cat reproducing its 
species in this manner. The question might arise, Which 
is the Pussy who a couple of months ago jumped upon our 
work-table and overturned an inkstand ? It would be 
