of various particles. They can only be called organisms in so
far as they are capable of exercising the organic phenomena of life, of
nutrition, reproduction, sensation and movement."

Verworn records an interesting instance of life and mind among the
_Rhizopods_, a very low form of living thing. He relates that the
_Difflugia ampula_, a creature occupying a tiny shell formed of minute
particles of sand, has a long projection of its substance, like a
feeler or tendril, with which it searches on the bottom of the sea for
sandy material with which to build the shell or outer covering for its
offspring, which are born by division from the parent body. It grasps
the particle of sand by the feeler, and passes it into its body by
enclosing it. Verworn removed the sand from the bottom of the tank,
replacing it by very minute particles of highly colored glass. Shortly
afterward he noticed a collection of these particles of glass in the
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 whic