A SUBAQUEOUS CITY. 151 



kingdom by means of seed and bulbs. Certain cells 

 of the Amoaboid character are specialised for the 

 purpose, and amalgamating or coalescing, develop a 

 horny coat of great strength and endurance, and 

 also at the same time an internal spicular frame or 

 skeleton of very singular structure a " two-toothed 

 disc, like a cogged wheel united by an axis." As 

 this disc-like spiculum enlarges, the corpuscular 

 germs, or Amoeboid cells, disappear, and to all 

 appearance nothing is left but the horny coat and 

 its contained silicious skeleton. The living germs 

 are hidden somewhere, and protected during the 

 season of winter. One may here remark on the 

 nature of the seed covering horny and flinty and 

 wonder how the hidden life is ever again to make 

 its way out through such material. Certainly, 

 some vegetable seeds have very hard and woody 

 shells ; yet, even so, the germinal life would remain 

 dormant, unless planted in the earth and softened 

 by rain and dew ; but the Spongilla seed has been 

 formed in the water and made to resist its action, 

 and unless some special provision is made it must 

 remain dormant for an indefinite period. On closely 

 examining these little circular seed-like bodies, a 



