— 56 — 



of the axostylebend forwards, and the body of the animal shorten. 

 The normal (if we may nse that expression) position of the axo- 

 style and the membrane is revealed in those cases, when 

 they accidently become separated out of the body, and are 

 thus freed of the influence of the ectoplasmatic cover on 

 them. Then the axostyle straightens, and the membrane be- 

 comes contracted into a spiral in one plane (tab. II, fig. 16). 

 It is a much rarer occurence that the membrane of such an 

 apparatus is in a stretched state, possibly already degenera- 

 ting (tab. I, fig. 14 cl- 15). 



Thus, the shape of the body in Myxomonas may be expres- 

 sed as the resultant of two forces: the force of action of the 

 axostyle, and the force of action of the undulating membrane. 



The three or four anterior flagella peculiar to all Trichomo- 

 nads, are absent in Myxoinonas. Only in two specimens of Myxo- 

 monas I saw formations resembling flagella. In both of these 

 cases I have found at the most anterior, sharpened end of 

 the undulating membrane two black granules; from one of 

 them, in one of the cases, there seemed to project two fine 

 threads (tab. I, fig. 13). Such granules may easily be inter- 

 preted as basal bodies of the flagella, and the threads men- 

 tioned — as the flagella themselves. Nevertheless it is too risky 

 to make any conclusions on the presence of flagella in Myxo- 

 moyias from one preparation, shown in fig. 13. 



Type B is in general identical to the preceding, but de- 

 void of an axostyle. This fact does not prevent us from re- 

 ferring both forms to one species, and only serves to prove 

 again, how changeable the the organism of the Trichomo- 

 nads and Protozoa related to them is. Already Martin and 

 Robertson (24 p. 67) have stated that in Trichonionas galli- 

 nariim the axostyle in only in very few cases present. Besi- 

 des, in many Trichomonads the axostyle disappears tempora- 

 rily before division of the animal begins. Concerning Myxomo- 

 nas, in some samples I found only individuals of type A, in 

 others individuals of type B, whereas in some V»oth were to 

 be found together. 



Type B resembles type A so closely, that with regard to 

 it only a few additional remarks may be made. 



The size of type B varies in the same limits as in type A, 

 but there occur many individuals of smaller size, than the 

 minutest individuals of type A. 



