body of the creature, and a little later he saw a tiny speck of
protoplasm emitted from the parent by separation. At the same time he
noticed that the bits of glass collected by the mother creature were
passed out and placed around the body of the new creature, and cemented
together by a substance secreted by the body of the parent, thus
forming a shell and covering for the offspring. This proceeding showed
the presence of a mental something sufficient to cause the creature to
prepare a shell for the offspring previous to its birth--or rather to
gather the material for such shell, to be afterward used; to
distinguish the proper material; to mould it into shape, and cement it.
The scientist reported that a creature always gathered just exactly
enough sand for its purpose--never too little, and never an excess. And
this in a creature that is little more than a tiny drop of glue!

We may consider the life actions of the Moneron a little further, for
it is the lowest form of so-called "living matter"--the point at which
living forms pass off into non-living forms (so-called). This tiny
speck of glue--an organism without organs--is endowed with the faculty
called sensation. It draws away from that which is likely to injure it,
and toward that which it desires--all in response to an elementary
sensation. It has the instinct of self-preservation and
self-protection. It seeks and finds its prey, and then eats, digests
and assimilates it. It is able to move about by "false-feet," or bits
of its body which it pushes forth at will from any part of its
substance. It reproduces itself, as we have seen, by separation and
self-division.

The life of the bacteria and germs--the yeasty forms of life--are
familiar to many of us. And yet there are forms of life still below
these. The line between living forms and non-living forms is being set