THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 233 



paratively slowly, and two or three days elapsed before 

 the segmentation was completed. But at last some of 

 the areas were wholly resolved into a number of colour- 

 less, homogeneous, and highly refractive spherules, about 

 ■5W0'' in diameter. Some areas seemed to remain in 

 this condition for two or three days longer, whilst in 

 others the products of segmentation began to undergo 

 change almost before it was completed. In each case, 

 however, the modification was of the same kind, and 

 consisted in a gradual diminution in the refractiveness 

 of the separated elements, and their assumption of a 

 more distinctly vesicular character, whilst they simulta- 

 neously acquired a faint brown colour. They were thus 

 converted into unmistakeable fungus-germs, although 

 they showed very little tendency to germinate ; and it 

 was not until after repeated examination that a few 

 of them were found growing out into filaments such as 

 are represented in the figure. Occasionally, in the same 

 pellicle, the embryonal areas broke up into products of 

 a somewhat diflFerent character. The segments were 

 slightly larger, whilst they gradually assumed a deeper 

 brown colour and a more compound character. These 

 elements also grew at this stage, and underwent pro- 

 cesses of division after the fashion of Lichen gonidia, 

 and in a manner similar to what I had observed on a 

 previous occasion \ These germs also exhibited very 

 little tendency to develop, though on one or two 



^ See p. 203, Fig. 55. 



