— 50 — 



braiie in the same manner, as tlie liood, which })i'oduces the 

 oval bodies, flows on tlie exterior surface of the membrane. 

 Another fact, speaking in favour of the resemblance to the 

 karyosome is the periodical change in size of the oval bodies 

 (compare analogous processes in Porospora gigantea). 



Thus, on account of all that has been said, I am lead to 

 consider the oval bodies of Gigantomonas as extranuclear kary- 

 osomes. Another permanent inclusion in Gigcuitomonas is the 

 ventral chromidium. Nearly in the middle of the body, nea- 

 rer to its ventral side, is situated a spongy or granulated 

 mass of irregular outlines, usually with the contours not 

 sharply marked. The granules, or lumps composing this mass 

 stain like chromatin. Chromidia in the shape of regularly 

 arranged small siderofilous grains have already been descri- 

 bed in many Trichomonads. The chromidium of Gigantomonas 

 is remarkable for its structure, which resembles the chromi- 

 dial reticula in Rhizopoda, or the spongy centrosome in 

 Actinosphaeriu/n. 



Besides the constant ventral chromidium, in some speci- 

 mens (tab. I, fig. 9) I saw dispersed in the plasm rods and 

 grains of unknown origin, staining very intensely with Hei- 

 denhain's haematoxylin. Those formations also seem to bear 

 the chromidial character. 



And lastly, the axostyle presents a very important orga- 

 noid, which is greatly responsible for the shape of the cell 

 in Gigantomonas. The axostyle (tab. I, fig. 9 and 10) has the 

 form of a rather thick spindle which passes along the whole 

 body. The anterior end of the spindle becomes lost after 

 reaching the nucleus. The posterior third of the axostyle 

 sharpens into the caudal spine, and projects out of the 

 hinder part of the body on 20—30 microns. When attentively 

 examined, it may be seen that the caudal spine does not 

 project freely out of the body, but is covered 'by a plasmatic 

 film on all its course. The axostyle is quite colourless and 

 transparent, both in life, and after treatment with Heiden- 

 hain's haematoxylin. 



Concerning the more detailed struct are of the axostyle, 

 the latter is composed of numerous finest fibres lying closely 

 one to another; 1 have established this structure of it without 

 any doubt, which point I consider it my duty to state, 

 owing to Kucinsky's (26) statement that the axostyle of all 



