1879.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 205 



entiation of endosarc and ectosarc ; and from the latter in the 

 possession of a well-defined nucleus. He proposed for it the fol- 

 lowing name with distinctive characters : 



Endamceba. 



General character and habit of Amoeba ; composed of colorless, 

 homogeneous, granular protoplasm, in the ordinary normal active 

 condition without distinction of ectosarc and endosarc ; with a 

 distinct nucleated nucleus, but ordinarily with neither contractile 

 vesicle nor vacuoles. 



Endamceba blatt^e. 



Eine art Proteus. Seibokl : Beitr. z. Naturges, d. wirb. Thiere, 



1839, Jide Stein. 

 Ambbenform. Stein : Organismus d. Infusionstheire, 1867, II., 345. 

 Amoeba Blattce. Butschli: Zeits. f. wis. Zoologie, 1878, xxx. 273, 



Taf. xv., Fig. 26. 



Initial form globular passing into spheroidal, oval, or variously 

 lobate forms, mostly clavate and moving with the broader pole in 

 advance. Protoplasm finely granular, and when in motion more 

 or less distinctly striate. Nucleus spherical, granular, with a large 

 nucleolus. Distinct food particles commonly few or none. Size 

 of globular forms 0.054 mm. to 0.075 mm. in diameter; elongated 

 forms 0.075 mm. by 0.06 mm. to 0.15 mm. by 0.09 mm. Parasitic 

 in the large intestine of Blatta orientalis. 



The Endamceba blattee affords a good example of a primitive, 

 active nucleated organic corpuscle, or a so-called organic cell with- 

 out a cell wall. In the encysted condition it would be a complete 

 nucleated organic cell. Endamceba may be recommended as a 

 convenient illustration of a primitive form of the organic cell on 

 account of its comparatively ready access. 



October 14. 



The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 



Thirty-two persons present. 



On the Supposed Sensitive Character of the Glands of the As- 

 clepiadaceee. Mr. E. Potts, referring to a communication made 

 a year ago to the Academy and published in its Proceedings for 

 1878, p. 283, with regard to the supposed discovery of a sensi- 

 tive contractile power analogous to that of Dionea, in the stig- 

 matic glands of the Asclepiadacere, said that during the past 

 summer he had given many hours to a careful examination of the 

 subject, resulting in an entire failure to confirm his former posi- 

 tion. This examination had embraced at least five species of the 

 typical genus Asclepias, and single species of each of the allied 

 genera, Araujia, Physianthus, Hoya, Gonolobus, and Stap)elia. 



