138 CONJUGATEiE. 



them having nothing whatever to do with the separation of 

 the cells, and never being in any case the result of it, but 

 depending, as explained already, upon unequal internal pres- 

 sure, and occurring chiefly at the period of reproduction. 

 The effect of the eversion is, as already observed, to occasion 

 the dislocation of the cells. 



" Again, in every filament of those Zygnemata which ex- 

 hibit the inverted structure, cells may be observed terminating 

 in the ordinary manner of Confervce, viz. by plane surfaces, 

 the presence or absence of the inversion depending upon the 

 period of the formation of the dissepiments ; the older ones, 

 or, as observed in the beginning of this notice, the more 

 mature ones only presenting it. Thus it follows that the 

 opposed extremities of cells always exhibit the same structure, 

 and that this alternation in form supplies evidence the most 

 conclusive of the multiplication of cells throughout the entire 

 filament of a Conferva by division." * 



It is in this genus that the radiated organ described in the 

 Introduction is best developed, and may be observed with 

 most advantage ; it is here also that the cruciform organs, 

 supposed to secrete the raphides, and the curved strings of 

 cytoblasts, before noticed, are most clearly seen. 



Attention to the structure of the cells in the Zygnemata is 

 of the very first importance in the discrimination of species, 

 it being the only distinguishing character in some closely 

 allied species. 



First Subgenus. — Filaments conjugating. 



* Extremities of the cells truncated, 



a. Spires numerous. 



1. Zygnema orbiculare Ilass. 



Plate XIX. Figs. 1, 2. 



Char. Filaments highly mucous, and of a light green colour, 



* From a paper entitled " Observations on some Points in the Ana- 

 tomy and Physiology of the Freshwater Alga\" by Arthur II, Ilassall, 

 inserted in the " Annals and Mag. of Natural History," vol.xii. pp. 26 — 8. 



