402 



MYCETOZOA 



Fig. 332. — Chondt-iodenna diffortne Rost. i, a ripe spore ; 

 2, the same germinating ; 3-5, swarm-spores ; 6, 7, the same 

 in amoeboid state ; 8, two in close contact ; 9, the same 

 coalesced ; 10, three in contact ; 11, two after coalescence, the 

 third still free ; 12, ^-oung plasmode which has taken up 

 two spores into its substance (x 350). (From Sachs, after 

 Cienkowski.) 



acquiring a cilium at the end of a finely pointed process. Its movements 

 are of two kinds : a hopping movement, during which it commonly 



rotates round its longi- 

 tudinal axis, while the 

 outline undulates ; and 

 a creeping movement,, 

 which takes place on a 

 firm substratum with the 

 cilium in advance. The 

 creeping is also some- 

 times accomplished by 

 the protrusion and re- 

 traction of pseudocodes. 

 The same swarm- spore 

 often moves both by 

 hopping and by creeping 

 alternately. After passing 

 through this stage, during 

 which swarm-spores mul- 

 tiply by simple division 

 into two (such division 

 taking place in some cases 

 even before leaving the 

 spore), the formation of 

 plasmodes begins. The 

 swarm-spores taking part 

 in this process are such 

 as have withdrawn their 

 ciha and exhibit creeping 

 amcjeboid movements. 

 Several come into con- 

 tact and coalesce, thus 

 forming the beginning of 

 the plasmode. Others are 

 drawn towards it — how, 

 no one has ever found 

 out — and successively 

 coalesce with it, until a 

 comparatively large plas- 

 mode is formed with the 

 appearance and move- 

 ments of a huge amoeboid swarm-spore without cilia. This plasmode 



Fig. 333. — Didyjnium serpjda Fr. A and B, plasmodes (natural 

 size). C, margin of a moving plasmode ( x about 200). (After 

 Reinke.) 



