The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-05-31

scribes the actions OF the sensitiv,
plants in closing on an insect which vii
form food, and refusing to close repeat
edly at the touch OF pencil. utwhil,
1t describes what takes place, IL explains
nothing; and one can not help thinking
that there is further field for disoov
cry behind these convenient but unsat
isfactory terms.
The second division in the scale oi
animal life includes tho great family
of sponges. The sponge differs from
the amnba in being composed Of many
cells, instead of single one, and pre-
sents the first indications Of division o.
labor in the animal kingdom. One SCI
of cells are told off to look after the
supplies, while another set see to the
digcsting and building up of material.
When first cast on its own resources
the young sponge is a 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 q
rowing life; or perhaps the continual
dread of being swallowed by one Of its
enemies more than counterbalances all
the JOY of it's youthful pleasures. AT
all events it manifests a desire for set
tling down." and some root-looking
processes having meanwhile appeared at
one end of it's 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 crus-
tacean. BY some newly-aceuircd vital
power, the settleddown sponge now
commences to separate lime or flinty
material, either from it's food or direct
ly from the sea; and the fbrous
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
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 lashcs. BY vigor-
GUS concerted movement of all the lashes
in the various cham bers, water is drawn
in through the small canals, and passed
on to a 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,
ana as far as possible caught and di-
gestcd by the Shiny material. Should
an extra lively organism be drawn in and
show an inclination to fight the fibrous
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 fbres 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 sponge of remarkable
beauty and design. This production is
known as Venus er-basket, and so
exquisitely is the pattern worked out
that it may fifty be compared to the
finest lace.
From the few features of sponge-life
just mentioned, it seems difficult to be-
lieve that the sponge can display SO
much apparent intelligence without any
organs of special sense. Specially won
derful is it to contemplate the fairy
! Looking lacework of Venus flower
basket, and know that it has been coE'
structed by an organism possessing
not even the most rudimentary form o.
eyes.
The settling-down of the free swim
ming spongeling might possibly be i'm
duced by the Shiny matter acquiring
more solid, and consequently heavier con-
dition, at the end by which it ultimate
ly becomes attached. The preference
abode might be accounted for simply by
the prevalence of rock in the parts of
the sea where sponge-life abounds. But
the formation of small canals, leading
to larger ones which ultimately open to
the outside, the small chambers, with
the movement of the lashes, causing a
current through the whole system, be-
tokens an adaptation of means to ends
that can scarcely be conceived of with
out associating with it Il certain amount
of intelligence. The sponge, however,
possesses no nervous system or any of
the features on which intelligence is
usually understood to depend. Again,
the terms ''irritability" and ''discrimi-
nation seem quite inadequate to
meet the case, and recourse is
had with reluctance to the doc
trine of natural selection" or the
Survival of the fttest" This theory
teaches that in some bygone age all
sponges perished except few who con-
formed to the mode of life that obtains
with sponges of the present day. OF
the families ot these few, only those
survived who conformed to the same
rule of life. With each succeeding
generation the tendency to conform
would become stronger, until now the
tendency to perform certain operations
is transmitted from one generation to
uality itself Granting that this is the
true explanation of the sponge's mode of
life, the question arises, how did the
first sponge manage to strike out this
line of conduct? IL VIC assume that tho
first sponge had a dispensation of some
special power-whatever name it might
be called by--could the same power not
be granted to every succeeding gener-
alton? AS in the case of the sensitive
plants already referred to, there seems
to be some mystery IN the life-history