THE BATHTBIUS. ^y 



twining their free moving ends, so as to form a net. Huge 

 masses of such slime-nets crawl upon the deepest bottom 

 of the sea {Bathyhius, Fig. 164). Within these soft sHme- 

 like plasaon-nets slow currents continually' pass. Such a 

 Moneron may be fed with finely pulverized colouring 

 matter (for instance, carmine or indigo powder), if this 

 powder is scattered in the drop of water under the micro- 

 scope, in which the Moneron is contained. The grains 

 of colouring matter at first adhere to the surface of the 

 slimy body, and then gradually penetrate, and are driven 

 about in irregular directions. The separate smaUest par- 

 ticles, or molecules, of the Moneron-body, called "plas- 

 tidules,"i86 displace each other, change their relative 

 positions, and thus efiect a change in the position of the 

 absorbed particles of colouring matter. This change of 

 position, at the same time, proves positively that a hidden 

 delicate structure does not exist. It might be argued that 

 the Monera are not really structureless, but that their 

 organization is so minute that, in consequence of the in- 

 adequate power of our magnifying glasses, it is invisible. 

 This objection is, however, invalid, for by the experiment 

 of feeding, we can, at any moment, prove the entrance of 

 foreign, formed, small bodies into the different parts of the 

 body of the Moneron, and that these are irregularly driven 

 about in all directions. At the same time we see that the 

 changeable network of threads, formed by the branching 

 of the protoplasmic threads and the coalescence of the con- 

 fluent branches, alter their configuration every moment; 

 just as has long been known to occur in the thread-nets 

 of the protoplasm in the interior of the plant-cells. The 

 Monera are, therefore, reaUy homogeneous and structureless; 



