356 Bombay Branch Royal Asiatic Society : — ?M 



TROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ,^ 



BOMBAY BRANCH ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. {j 



January 10, 185G. — W. E. Frere, Esq., C.S., President, in the Chair. 



" Notes on the Infusoria of the Island of Bombay. — Organization.'* 

 By H. J. Carter, Esq., Assistant-Surgeon H.C.S. 



After a few prefatory observations respecting the necessity of 

 studying the more simple, in order to understand the more compli- 

 cated forms of living beings, the author premises that the freshwater 

 Infusoria of the island of Bombay are, speaking generally, the same 

 as those of Europe. He then observes, that, before communicating 

 a summary of his notes on them, it is desirable that he should make 

 a few observations on their organization, and adopt such terms as 

 might facilitate his descriptions. The definition of these forms the 

 subject-matter of his paper, of which the following is an abstract : — 



Pellicula, or Skin. — This term is adopted for the surface-covering 

 of Infusoria, which, with our present microscopic powers, appears 

 to be nothing more than a consolidated portion of the subjacent sub- 

 stance. It has been proposed by Mohl for the surface of the starch- 

 grain, &c., and the author extends its use to the Infusoria. Dujar- 

 din likened it to the film which occurs over " flour-paste or glue 

 allowed to cool in the air." Although it cannot be demonstrated 

 when the infusorium is fresh and active, to wit Amoeba, yet when the 

 latter becomes capsuled, its existence is rendered evident by trans- 

 formation into the investing cyst. 



Biaphane, or Transparent Moving Matter. — This is the colourless 

 material on which the pellicula rests ; it forms the outer zone of the 

 infusorium, and is characterized in the Amoshce, where its features are 

 most evident, by possessing the transparency and structureless appear- 

 ance of glass, with an amount of polymorphism unequalled by any 

 other substance in organic creation. It is the agent of progression 

 and prehension of food in those infusoria which are unprovided with 

 cilia for this purpose. The term is derived from its transparency, 

 and has been adopted by the author for convenience of description. 



Sarcode, or Abdominal Mucus. — This is a molecular slime which 

 fills the interior of the infusorium, and is characterized by its turbidity 

 when compared with the glassy transparency of the diaphane. All 

 the internal organs are imbedded in it, part of which are fixed and 

 part moveable ; it is also the receptacle of the food, which in the 

 Amoebce passes into, and out of it, directly through the diaphane, as 

 they have no apertures of external communication for these purposes. 

 Dujardin applied the term to *' the glutinous substance of the in- 

 terior," and to this the author wishes to restrict its use, adopting 

 *^ diaphane*^ for the outer portion of the infusorium as above stated, 

 which has heretofore been included under the head of ^' sarcode.''* 

 The central part of the sarcode appears to be the agent by which its 



