324 
EE VIEWS. 
rather perplexing to the “ general reader,” who, having gone so far 
as to peruse the third paragraph of its preface, finds that the work 
commends itself in some degree to his attention. Let him, however, 
read farther and his doubts will soon be removed. He will see that 
zoologists are still ignorant of the entire life-history of any one of 
these humble organisms, and that little, if anything, is at all known 
of the occurrence of true sexual reproduction amongst them. He 
will also learn that the Foraminifera are the lowest forms of animal 
life; of equal interest, therefore, to the Biologist and more special 
Zoologist. For (to use Dr. Carpenter’s words) their “substance 
“ does not present any such differentiation as is necessary to constitute 
“ what is commonly understood as £ organization,’ even of the lowest 
“ degree and simplest kind; so that the Physiologist has here a case 
“ in which those vital operations which he is accustomed to see carried 
“ on by an elaborate apparatus, are performed without any special 
“ instruments whatever,—a little particle of apparently homogenous 
“jelly changing itself into a greater variety of forms than the fabled 
“ Proteus, laying hold of its food without members, swallowing it 
“ without a mouth, digesting it without a stomach, appropriating 
“ its nutritious material without absorbent vessels or a circulating 
“ system, moving from place to place without muscles, feeling (if it has 
“ any pow T er to do so) without nerves, propagating itself without genital 
“ apparatus, and not only this, but in many instances forming shelly 
“ coverings of a symmetry and complexity not surpassed by those of 
“any testaceous animals.” But the study of these (and other lower) 
animals, though by no means easy in itself, is relatively far less difficult 
than that of organisms higher in the scale of being. The contrary 
is, indeed, often expressed, but a little reflection should suffice to 
show us its fallacy. This, at least, we can say,—that there are few 
of Dr. Carpenter’s pages which could be considered incompre¬ 
hensible by any person of good education and intelligence, who, un¬ 
deterred by a previous want of acquaintance with Zoology, should 
carefully and patiently endeavour to master their contents. His 
work, it must be remembered, consists of two successive portions ;— 
the first general, and addressed to all readers ; the second more par¬ 
ticularly intended for special students of the Foraminifera. The 
author has himself furnished a well-illustrated resume of this second 
section in the tenth chapter of the last edition of his Manual of the 
Microscope, the title of which we have, therefore, given at the head 
of the present notice. 
The first portion of Dr. Carpenter’s monograph, besides a Pre¬ 
face and list of Bibliographical Deferences, includes some sixty-two 
pages of text, arranged under three chapters. Of these the first pre¬ 
sents a historical summary of the progress of our knowledge of the 
Foraminifera from the time of such writers as Plancus to the 
present day. The second chapter discusses the Bhizopods as a 
group, dwelling specially on their classification and reproduction. 
While the third treats “ of the Foraminifera generally ; their chief 
