GENUS BIOMYXA— BIOMYXA VAGANS. 285 



of the same filament. Feeble movements, circulatory as well as contractile 

 and expansile, were also seen in the body mass of the creature. Preserved 

 until the following day, it presented no essential chauge, excepting that it 

 had completely discharged all the desmids previously noticed. 



In the same drop of water containing the individual just described there 

 was a very much smaller one, which I supposed might be a fragment of the 

 former. When detected, it presented an elliptical body prolonged into pseu- 

 dopodal extensions at the opposite poles, as seen in fig. 2, and after a little 

 the body appeared to run along one of the pseudopodal extensions to the 

 end, like a drop of water flowing upon a string, when the creature assumed 

 the shape seen in fig. 3. From the side of the body, in the latter condi- 

 tion, there projected a delicate pseudopod, which was noticed to vibrate 

 slowly toward the main one. 



The successive changes of shape of Biomyxa are sufficiently rapid 

 often to render it difficult to delineate the exact forms. Figs. 5 and 6, pi. 

 XLVII, represent two such changes in one individual, and figs. 7-9 three 

 changes in another individual. Fig. 10 represents a third individual 

 accompanying the preceding. The arrows indicate the general direction 

 in the circulation of the granules. Figs. 4-6, pi. XLVIII, represent suc- 

 cessive changes of another individual. As first seen, it was regarded as 

 a minute worm casting; but after a moment its movements and extension 

 of pseudopods indicated its true character. 



The material containing the specimens above described, consisting 

 mainly of sphagnum, was collected from the edge of Absecom pond, New 

 Jerse) r , in September, 1874, and was preserved in a glass-covered case 

 during the winter. The Biomyxas were noticed in association with a 

 multitude of minute, bright-green, one-celled algae, in a transparent jelly 

 attached to the side of the glass case contiguous to the sphagnum covering 

 the bottom of the latter. 



At no time had I the opportunity of observing Biomyxa take food of 

 any hind, and rarely have I noticed food within the animal. On one occa- 

 sion I saw an individual which attracted my attention from its having 

 entangled in its pseudopodal net two active, green Euglenias. These were 

 watched with much interest, under the impression that they had been cap- 

 tured as food; but, after much wriggling, they both disengaged themselves, 

 and escaped. 



