CARBONATE OF AMMONIA ON CHLOROPHYLL-BODIES. 265 
withstanding that in closely adjoining cells which have not been 
killed, as could be seen by the protoplasm still flowing round 
the walls, aggregation ensued. So that the process is quite 
arrested by the death of a cell, and it is much delayed if a leaf, 
before being immersed in the solution, is kept for some time in 
carbonic acid; and this agrees with the well-known fact that 
protoplasm retains its activity only as long as it is in an oxy- 
genated condition. When tentacles, including recently aggre- 
gated masses, are suddenly killed or much injured by being 
dipped into hot water, or by being irrigated with alcohol, acetic 
acid, or a solution of iodine, the aggregated masses suddenly 
disintegrate and disappear, leaving only a little fine granular 
matter; but this disintegration does not occur with the more 
solid masses which have been aggregated for some time. 
From the several foregoing considerations, from the aggregated 
masses being of an albuminoid nature (as shown by the tests 
employed by my son Francis, and as is admitted by Pfeffer *), and 
from their incessant, long-continued amceba-like movements, 
I formerly concluded that not only these masses, but that the 
minute globules which first appear in the cell-sap consist, af 
least in part, of living and spontaneously moving protoplasm. 
And I feel compelled to adhere to my original conclusion, not- 
withstanding that such high authorities as Cohn and Pfeffer 
believe that the aggregated masses consist merely of condensed 
cell-sap. The movements of the masses, l presume, are con- 
sidered by these botanists to be of the same nature as those 
curious ones described by Beneke as occurring in myelin when 
immersed in water and in a solution of sugar t. 
From the doubts thus thrown upon my original conclusion, it 
seemed to me advisable to observe the action of carbonate of 
ammonia on grains of chlorophyll, as it is generally admitted 
that these consist of modified protoplasm. The grains not only 
change their positions under certain circumstances, which may 
be due merely to the movements of the streaming protoplasm in 
which they are imbedded, but they likewise have the power of 
changing their shapes, as has been recently proved by Stahl t. 
* “ Pflanzenphysiologie,' Bd. ii. p. 248. 
+ ‘Studien über das Vorkommen ..... 
1862). 
1 See his interesting papers in the Botanische Zeitung, 1880, pp. 298-413, 
von Gallenbestandtheil' (Giessen, 
and more especially p. 361. 
