140 W. H. HARRIS OX MARINE MICROSCOPIC VEGETABLE ORGANISMS. 



instrumental in wasting their time, and possibly exhausting their 

 patience. 



Apart from extending our knowledge of a few species, I am 

 painfully aware of the small amount of information I am able to 

 impart ; but, after all, pioneer work must consist in discovering, 

 recording, and roughly classifying. When sufficient information 

 of this nature has been accumulated, a foundation will have been 

 laid to assign the place in nature tliis gi'oup of organisms should 

 occup3\ I lay no claim to botanical knowledge of any kind ; it 

 would therefore be presumption on my part to offer an opinion on 

 this point. All that any one in my position should do is to state 

 as many facts as he has been able to obtain, to be cautious -when 

 making statements that they may not be liable to misinterpreta- 

 tion, to be sure those made shall be capable of being demonstrated, 

 and above all to avoid getting into the foggy atmosphere of 

 premature theory. Thus a foundation may be laid for other 

 investigators, and, by slow degrees, a subject which at first 

 appeared hopelessly obscure may be elucidated, and ultimately 

 assume proportions never expected. 



It will be observed I have not adopted the idea of Parasitism 

 in the title to these notes. Frequently that term is very loosely 

 applied, and its full consideration would here be out of place ; but 

 I should give some reasons for not using it. I therefore content 

 myself Avith defining a Parasite as an organism which is parasitic 

 upon other organisms belonging to the same natural kingdom, 

 deriving its sustenance from its host to the detriment, or absolute 

 destruction, of the latter. Unless we confine ourselves within 

 these limits difficulties present themselves from which escape is 

 impossible. These vegetable organisms evidently find a habitat 

 as suitable to their requirements in the mineral remains of marine 

 animals as common weeds do in the soil of our gardens, yet we do 

 not look upon the latter as parasites, but merely as invaders. 



Apart from these objections, so far as my investigations 

 have gone, I have no direct evidence to offer that these plants 

 attack the shells, spicules, etc., while they form parts of the 

 living animals ; the slight evidence I have to offer is distinctly 

 opposed to the idea of their being parasites. I have had several 

 collections of dredgings, of which fine mud formed by far the 

 larger proportion; in one case a pound of uncleaned material 

 from Pekalonjjau gave about a quarter of an ounce of organic 



