Note 55 — Chapter V · ANTAGONISM BETWEEN GROWTH AND ASEXUAL GENESIS.

To meet a possible criticism it should be remarked that this calculation assumes that the power of asexual reproduction is not exhausted by the end of the month. It has been found that “the successive fissions of Paramœcium cannot continue indefinitely. After some hundreds of generations the products of fission are small, have no mouth, and die unless before this they have been allowed to conjugate with individuals of another brood.” It may, however, be fairly taken for granted that “some hundreds of generations” would take longer than a month.