The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-07-31

form 1ood, and refusing to close repeat |
edly at the touch of a pencil But while
it describes what takes place, it explains
nothing; and one can not help thinking
that there is further field for discov-
cry behind these convenient but unsat-
isfactory terms.
The second division in the scale of
animal life includes the great family
of sponges. The sponge differs from
the am@ba in being composed of many
cells, instead of single one, and pre-
sents the first indications of division of
labor in the animal kingdom. One set
of cells are told OF to look after the
supplies, while another set see to the
digesting and building up of material
When first cast on it's own resources,
the young sponge is small Shiny body
covered with minute hairs or lashes, by
the movement of which it roams about
in perfect freedom. By and by the
spongeling seems to grow tired of
rowing life; or perhaps the continual
dread of being swallowed by one of It's
enemies more than counterbalances all
the JOY of its youthful pleasures. At
all events it manifests desire for ''set-
tling down." and some root-looking
processes having meanwhile appeared at
one end of its body. it attaches itself by
these to the spot where it is to spend the
remainder of its days. This is usually
the solid rock; but it may be the sur
face of pebble, or the back of a crus-
tacean. By some newly-acquired vital
power, the settled-down sponge now
commences to separate lime or flinty
material, either from its food or direct
~ from the sea; and the ibrous
structure, characteristic of the mature
sponge, soon begins to appear. The
lashes which have hitherto been used
round the outside for catching food are
now drawn inside, just when one would
imagine that their presence outside
would be all the more required for the
increasing wants Of the growing sponge.
But the lashes have only been re-
moved to position of greater safety,
not of less usefulness Chambers are
formed at intervals in the minute canals
which everywhere irrigate the growing
| fibrous structure, and in these lies the
future work of the lashes. BY a vigor-
GUS concerted movement of all the lashes
in the various chambers water is drawn
in through the small canals, and passed
on to larger canal in the center, which
| opens to the top, and is there emitted
with some force. By this arrangement
food is drawn in all around the sponge,
and as far as possible caught and di-
gested by the shiny material. Should
an extra lively organism be drawn in and
show an inclination to fight the fbrous
matter acts as protection;and the would
be fighter must either be content to
pass on and be elected by the funnel,
or run the risk of being absorbed in the
digested slime, and thus end its fight.
ing days for ever.
Although the fibres of an ordinary
sponge do not appear to form any regu-
lar design in their structure, there is a
species known to flourish in the neigh
borhood of the Philippine Islands which
does produce a sponge of remarkable
beauty and design. This production is
known as Venus flower-basket, and SO
exquisitely is the pattern worked out
that it may fitly be compared to the
finest lace.
The settling-down of the free swim.
ming spongeling might possibly be in
duced by the Shiny matter acquiring a
more solid, and consequently heavier con-
dition, at the end by which it ultimate.
ly becomes attached. The preference
for solid rock as a permanent place Oi
abode might be accounted for simply BY
the prevalence of rock in the parts o1
the sea where sponge-life abounds. But
, the formation of small canals, leading
to larger ones which ultimately open t.
the outside, the small chambers, with
the movement of the lashes, causing
current through the whole system, be
! tokens an adaptation of means to end
; that can scarcely be conceived of with
, out associating with it certain amour
, of intelligence. The sponge, however
!, possesses no nervous system or any o
the features on which Intelligence
: usually understood to depend. Again
! the terms ''irritability" and 'discrimi
; nation" seem quite inadequate t.
meet the case, and recourse
, had with reluctance to the doc
; trine of natural selection" or tn
: survival of the fttest." This theor
: teaches that in some bygone age al
! sponges perished except few who con
. formed to the mode of life that obtain
) with sponges of tha present day. O
the families of these few, only thos
= survived who conformed to the sam
, rule of life. With each succeeding
: generation the tendency to conform
: would become stronger, until now tn
f tendency to perform certain operation
a is transmitted from one generation
! another, just as truly as the individ
r uality itself. Granting that this is tn
/ true explanation of the sponge's mode q
!. life, the question arises, how did tn
!. first sponge manage to strike out thi
4 line of conduct? If we assume that tn
O first sponge had a dispensation of som
a special power-whatever name it Nigh
a be called byAcould the same power nc
!. be granted to every succeeding genel
: alton? AS in the case of the sensitiv
plants already referred to, there seem
- to be some mystery IN the life-histor
v Of the sponge which biologists have nc
4 yet solved, and possibly never will.