Beard, On the Occurrence of Dextro-rotatory Albumins in Organic Nature. 1 1 i | 



four cubic centimetres of clean fresh rain-water. Four watch-glasses, 

 labelled A., B., C. & D. were taken, and in each, in 20 drops of clean 

 fesh rain-water, specimens of Cordylophora and Carchesium were 

 placed. 11. 15 a. m. Of the 5 c. c. of further diluted ferment- 

 solution there were added to A. 2 drops, to B. 4 drops, to C. 

 6 drops, and to D. 8 drops. Describing, first of all, the changes 

 undergone by Cordylophora, 11.26 polypes in D. contracted. 11.53 

 In polypes of C. queer appearance of tentacles, thread-cells in 

 dissolution. 12. 10 Polypes in B. contracted. 12. 20 Polypes in 

 C. disintegrating. 12. 35 These latter now much disintegrated. 

 1 p. m. In A., B., C. & D. all the polypes of Cordylophora dead 

 and in disintegration. It should be noted, that D., although con- 

 taining more of the ferment-solution than C., had also more polypes 

 of Cordylophora. Possibly this, along with the coldness of the day, 

 accounted for the slowness of the action. The Hydrachnid or 

 water-mite in B. was observed at the very start of the experiment 

 endeavouring to avoid the attack of a polype of Cordylophora, and 

 doing this only with difficulty. An hour later the polype made 

 no attempt to attack the mite, which could now crawl over it with 

 impunity. In this experiment some of the Carchesium were still 

 living at 2 p. m., but in the three stronger solutions they were 

 dead and digested by 5 p. m. The action upon Carchesium is given 

 m a later experiment (no. XIV). 



XIII. Planaria lactea, a sexual generation of a planarian worm. 

 Temperature 16.5 C. 11. 28 a. m. A watch-glass, containing 

 50 drops of clean fresh rain-water and Planaria, to which 5 drops 

 of the 10 c. c. dilution of T. & A. were added. All that was noted 

 was a cessation of the tendency to crawl on the glass, and an 

 attempt to get out of the fluid, possibly on account of the glycerin. 

 After the animals had remained for three quarters of an hour in 

 the fluid, they were removed alive to fresh rain-water. Three hours 

 later they were still alive, but they made no attempts to crawl up 

 the side of the glass. 



XIV. Nais proboscidea and Melicerta rinc/ens, two sexual genera- 

 tions, and Carchesium polypinum, an asexual generation. Tempera- 

 ture 15 C. Two watch-glasses were taken, A. containing 10 drops 

 of clean fresh rain-water, and B. 50 drops, and in each glass 

 specimens of the three animals were placed. At 11. 12 1 /,, a. m. to 

 each glass one drop of the 10 c. c. dilution of T. & A. was added. 

 By 12. 25, some seventy minutes later, in both glasses numerous 

 Carchesium were in disintegration, but in both here and there 

 single "polypes" of Carchesium were alive and active. The action 

 was not so marked in glass B. as in glass A. 1. 10 p. m. Prac- 

 tically all the Carchesium in A. were in disintegration, in B., although 

 all the Carchesium were dead, not all the "bells" were freed from 



XXXIII. 11 



