108 



JAMES FULLAGAR ON THE 



across the field. Several of Amccba Umax have made their appear- 

 ance in the same cell, and also Amccba actinophora. As all of 

 these Amaibas are supposed by some writers to be distinct species, 

 it gives rise to the question — what connection have they with Acti- 

 nophrys sol., being found so closely mixed up with them ? This is 

 a question that will require some little application, study, and 

 patience to answer. Dr. Wallich, in a note to his paper, " On an 

 undescribed form of Amoeba," in the " Magazine of Natural 

 History," Vo\. ii., 1863, p. 287, says that he thinks it will be 

 found eventually that all those Amwbas are mere transitory phases 

 of one and the same species; and I think so too, after what I have 

 seen of them during four months of almost daily observation. 



Fig. 3 is similar to one of the eight Actinophrys mentioned in 

 the paper, in their progress towards encystment, having arrived at 

 the stage of the formation of the two globular bodies. 



Fig. 14 shows a change that took place in a number of globular 

 bodies, that at one time appeared in the cell when A. sol. had 

 passed through the encysted state. These globes were about half 

 the size of those encysted, and not fixed like them, but moving 

 slowly through the water, surrounded by a very delicate fringe, 

 but without spines. In the course of an hour they were seen to 

 change in form from Fig. 2 to Fig. 4, and then to Fig. 14, each of 

 which, when separated, became perfectly shaped like Fig. 2, but 

 only half the size. Each of these again divided into two, as at 

 Fig. 15, when very fine and numerous spines were thrown out — 

 these I believe to be young A. sol. I have not yet seen any of 

 them attain the size of the original ones. 



Fig. 16 is a sketch of another form of Ama>ba, seen in the same 

 cell. The large granules at a were very bright, and moved about 

 as the creature advanced in the direction indicated by the arrow. 



Fig. 17 lepresents a globular form, of which there is a great 

 number in the cell ; they have been visible for the last month, and 

 they move so very slowly as to appear stationary ; sometimes as 

 many as six or seven are seen at once in the field of the micros- 

 cope. They have a number of vacuoles, which, at short intervals, 

 close up, and again open at the same spot ; the vacuoles are not all 

 equal in size, some are double the size of others, and in some of 

 the globes they are more numerous than in others. Being sure, 

 by the action of those vacuoles, that a change would take place in 

 them sooner or later, I watched them for a long time, when one 



