GYMNOPHBYS COMETA. 87 



Micr. Diet, ed. 4 (1883), p. 367 ; BLOCHMANN Mikr. Thierw. 

 Susswass. (1886), p. 11, t. i, f. 13, and ed. 2 (1895), p. 14, 

 t. i, f. 9; ROLLESTON Forms Anim. Life, ed. 2 (1888), 

 p. 920 ; PENARD in Rev. Suisse Zool. IX (1901), p. 238, 

 and Faune Rhiz. Leman (1902), p. 546, ff. ; G. S. WEST 

 in Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. XXVIII (1901), p. 311, 

 t. xxviii, f. 3 ; CASH in Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. XXIX 

 (1904), p. 222. 



Protoplasm finely granular, colourless, or presenting 

 a faint greenish tinge from the presence of chloro- 

 phyllous particles ; the body persistently sub-spherical 

 or irregularly elliptic, with no apparent nucleus or 

 contractile vesicle; subject to few changes super- 

 ficially, but emitting at from two or more points fine, 

 mostly elongated and diverging never crowded 

 pseudopodia, which branch out into fine filaments and 

 anastomose. The pseudopodia are of irregular thick- 

 ness, swollen at intervals, and granular throughout, 

 the granules exhibiting a circulatory movement. Pseu- 

 dopodia are occasionally formed, which do not attain 

 the average length, and possess considerable mobility. 

 The longer and finer ones are very inactive, and some- 

 times remain stationary for long periods; they may be 

 straight, bent at a sharp angle, branched, or elongated 

 and curved, sometimes measuring in length six to ten 

 times the diameter of the body. 



Dimensions : Average diameter of body 35-40 /x,, 

 sometimes 80 /i or more ; length of the pseudopodia 

 anything up to 400 /x, or even longer. 



In Sphagnum, Lindow and Dunham, Cheshire ; Car- 

 narvonshire, N. Wales. Near Brigg, Lincolnshire (West). 



Cienkowski describes Gyinnoplirys cometa as a 

 moneron, whose anastomosing pseudopodia, possessing 

 a distinct granular current, are confined to a few 

 points only of the body-surface not regularly dis- 

 tributed over it. Except that the pseudopodia appear 

 somewhat more numerous, in adult individuals, the 

 Cheshire examples agree well with this author's de- 

 scription. They vary in size. Not infrequently small 



