282 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



In these several patches there may be seen delicate 

 ovoid Torula cells of almost any size beneath ^-oVo" in 

 diameter. The larger cells are united in little groups 

 of twos and threes, and budding from them may be 

 seen pullulating projections of different sizes. Separate 

 cells also exist, smaller and smaller in size, till at last 

 they cease to be cellular in form, and we see only 

 peculiarly refractive dots or specks less than ^o^oo" in 

 diameter. In other places a colony of Torula cells 

 seems to be about to grow up. Here there may be 

 seen merely one or two of the smallest bodies which 

 distinctly display the cellular form interspersed amongst 

 a variable number of the refractive specks of all sizes 

 down to the minimum visible stage. And when such a 

 patch is marked and watched at different intervals 

 a crop of perfect Torula. cells is soon seen to occupy 

 the same situation. The Torula cells do undoubtedly 

 multiply pretty rapidly by a process of gemmation 1 , 

 when they have attained their full size, and possibly 

 also they may increase by processes of fission during 

 their earlier stages. Accordingly, their distribution is 

 such as might have been expected amongst such self- 

 multiplying units. Very rapid processes of sub-division 

 cannot be recognized amongst ordinary plastide-par- 

 ticles and 'Bacteria^ although many persons assume that 

 such phenomena do take place 2 , and, moreover, when 



1 M. Pouchet doubts the occurrence of this mode of multiplication 

 ('Nouvelles Experiences,' &c., 1864, p. 168). 



2 I have actually seen the fissiparous division of a Bacterium only 

 on comparatively few occasions. 



