54 GENERAL HISTORY OF 



general remarks on the Polygastrica, introduce here trans- 

 lations of the observations of the most distinguished 

 German botanist of the day, and Hkewise those of a 

 celebrated French naturalist, while the observations of 

 Professor Rymer Jones, the only Englishman that has 

 given an opinion on this subject, will be found in his 

 work, and those of naturalists relating to particular 

 families, I have inserted under those divisions. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS OF INFUSORIA. 



By F. J. Meyen, M.D. 



" All naturalists are aware that Gleichen, in 1781, tried 

 to make certain Infusoria eat carmine, and observed next 

 day that they had several large red granules in the interior 

 of their bodies. He thence concluded that they had 

 swallowed the colouring matter. He likewise noticed that 

 these coloured granules afterwards made their escape by 

 another opening. Gleichen has figured these red granules 

 very accurately; each of them is in the centre of a particular 

 circle, the nature of which he does not explain. At a 

 later period, M. Ehrenberg made the same remark, and 

 he thence concludes that the Infusoria have several 

 stomachs, which, in one section, are destitute of an intes- 

 tinal canal, while in others they not only possess canals, 

 by which they communicate with each other, but lateral 

 appendages, which besides terminate in a coecum. In 

 consequence of these discoveries, these Infusoria were 

 designated ])y the name of Polygastric animals. M. 



