FAMILY SIPHON AC KM 



-ACHLYA. 



3 --2 7 



termed Acldya pro- 

 lifer a, which grows 

 parasitically upon the 

 bodies of dead Flies 

 lying in the water, 

 but also not unfre- 

 quently attaches it- 

 self to the gills of 

 Fish, and is occasion- 

 ally found on the 

 bodies of Frogs. Its 

 tufts are distinguish- 

 able by the naked 

 eye as clusters of 

 minute colourless fila- 

 ments ; and these are 

 found, when examined 

 by the microscope, to 

 be long tubes devoid 

 of all partitions, ex- 

 tending themselves 

 in various directions. 

 The tubes contain 

 a colourless slightly- 

 granular protoplasm, 

 the particles of which 

 are seen to move 

 slowly in streams 

 along the walls, as in 

 Chara, the currents 

 occasionally anasto- 

 mosing with each 

 other (Fig. 152, c). 

 Within about thirty- 

 six hours after the 

 first appearance of 

 the parasite on any 

 body, the protoplasm 

 begins to accumulate 

 in the dilated ends of 

 the filaments, each 

 of which is cut off 

 from the remainder 

 by the formation of 

 a partition ; and with- 

 in this dilated cell 

 the movement of the 

 protoplasm continues 



Fig. 151. 



Successive phases of Generative process in Vau- 

 cheria sessilis .-—at a are seen one of the 'horns ' 

 or Antheridia («) and one of the Capsules (6), 

 as yet unopened ; at b the antheridium is seen 

 in the act of emitting the antherozoids (c), of 

 which many enter the opening at the apex of 

 the capsule, whilst others yd) which do not enter 

 it, display then- cilia w T hen they become motion- 

 less ; at c the orifice of the capsule is closed 

 again by the formation of a proper coat around 

 the endochrome-mass. 



