134 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [PaRT I 



with only a few individuals, sometimes with 50 or more, and even 

 100; in one particular case, one of the colonies seemed to contain 

 about 200 little amoebae; there are no limits, in fact, to the size 

 of the colony, and as for the isolated specimens, which, it must be 

 said, are always met with in greater numbers, they may very well 

 be supposed to have been detached from the colony. 



If we now look at one of these little Chrysamoehae (Plate VII, 

 fig. 41), we shall recognize a small amoeba, 15 or IS^jl in diameter, 

 star-shaped or made more or less irregular by thin clear pseudo- 

 podia, finely granulated superficially, sometimes bifurcate or rarely 

 branching, and whose length can be double the diameter of the 

 body. These amoebae very slowly change in shape, and hardly in 

 position, and the pseudopodia are seen to change also, retracting 

 or reappearing, but without seemingly playing an important part 

 in the locomotion of the animal. 



The plasma, very clear, and often with many small vacuoles, 

 contains a pale nucleus, whose structure is rather exceptional; most 

 generally, a central caryosom is to be seen, around which is a nar- 

 row annular ring of light liquid substance, then an exterior ring of 

 more comoact matter; sometimes, however, only small vacuoles 

 are seen in a homogenous grey nuclear substance. The nucleus 

 is generally indistinct, hidden from view by the more evident 

 chromatophore. This latter is in the form of a large golden-brown 

 lamina, crescent-curved; it very often looks double, being first 

 lengthened, then bent in its middle so as to acquire the form of 

 the letter V. The contractile vesicle, very small and in an eccen- 

 tric position, often can hardly be distinguished; its activity is seen 

 to be very slow, and some patience is needed to become sure of its 

 periodic emptying and filling, but I could ascertain that it func- 

 tions normally, though its reappearance after closing is very slow. 

 Here and there are seen scattered in the clear plasma more or less 

 numerous small shining granules, and sometimes a large rounded 

 mass of leucosine is found, of a very pure bluish grey. There is no 

 stigma, and as for a flagellum, only in very rare instances is one to 

 be seen, extremely thin and very slowly undulating; and its occur- 

 rence is always a sign that the amoeba is beginning to prepare for 

 its swimming Flagellate form. 



It is rather curious that the question of the capture of food should 

 have been so long obscure, and still is so. Klebs could not ascer- 

 tain its reality, nor did Senn observe more about it. Scherffel, how- 

 ever, as we said before, proved the fact, leaving no doubt at all. 

 For my part, I observed in many instances the capture of small 

 green particles, and more especially certain large (sulfureous?) two- 

 segmented bacteria, which happened to come into contact with 



