Mr. H. J. Carter on Abnormal Development in CEdogordum, 37 



iridium oUa^^, which also grows out of the sporangium of CE^or 

 gonium; and if so, the talented authors of the ^ Micrographio 

 Dictionary' make a mistake in referring the latter to the spor^ 

 biiO^dogonium described by Pringsheimf, which contains chlo- 

 rophyll previous to the subsequent develo^)ments that take place 

 in it ; unless, indeed, they allude to these developments, which> 

 according to my idea of the origin of Chytridium, or the conical 

 cell I have described, are of the same nature. Neither should 

 Prof. Braun's Chytridium be confounded with Prof. Pringsheim'? 

 'androspore' of QLdogonium ciliatum%. The latter, however, 

 thinks that the former has described little plants of this kind 

 .among his new species of Unicellular Alg£e§. 

 i; (.'However, the growth I have described appears to me to be 

 neither one nor the other, but an ultimate development of the 

 protoplasm, which, though deprived of the part which bears the 

 chlorophyll and the am.ount of formative power which is requisite 

 to produce a new plant, nevertheless retains sufficient to form 

 monads and polymorphic cells consecutively for a short time, 

 until the whole is expended. 



-tf It is true that the monad of this development may return to 

 the cell-wall of another spore-cell, and tubulate through it to 

 the healthy spore, or effect this directly by entering through the 

 micropyle ; for I have frequently seen one present with the 

 spermatozoids ; since what the parent-cell can do one way the 

 offspring may do the other ; but a similar development may be 

 seen among the contents even of the adjoining ordinary cells 

 where there is no opening; and although they do not grow out 

 into conical cells, the ultimate products, viz. monads, are the 

 same. The same thing takes place in Spirogyra\\, where there 

 is frequently a globular sac on the cell-wall that opens by a cir- 

 cular lid, if the latter may be inferred from the circular form of 

 the aperture ; while these sacs may be seen under polymorphism 

 inside the Spirogyra-cell before they begin to tubulate through 

 it. Besides, I shall soon have to show that a similar develop- 

 ment takes place from the egg of the worm Nais when its deve- 

 lopment has been arrested. Lastly, take the protoplasm of the 

 cell of Nitella, which is made up of mucus-cells in the natural, 

 rotatory state ; which cells, under certain circumstances, sepa- 

 rately, enclose portions of the starch-bearing green layer, and 

 ultimately bring forth a group of monads respectively^. May 



* " Rejuvenescence in Nature," Eng. Trans, by A. Henfrey, p. 185. 

 t Annals, vol. xi. p. 297, 1853. 

 X Loc. cit. § Id. 



II Annals, vols. xvii. & xix. pp. 101 & 259, respectively. 

 if Idem, vol. xvii. loc. cit. See also similar transformatioas iu Euglena, 

 figured in the platen . 



