OBSERVATIONS ON FEEDING OF AMEBA 39 



a thin sheet of protoplasm connecting them above. These con- 

 tinued to flow out over the infusorian, and if it remained quiet 

 long enough it was entirely surrounded and caught. Thus I re- 

 peatedly saw amebae capture paramecia, conjugating pairs as 

 well as single individuals, and also some specimens of Stylonychia 

 and Chilomonas. 



There is nothing essentially new in the observations described. 

 They are in full accord with those of Blochmann ('94, p. 87); but 

 in connection with them I saw, on two successive days, an occur- 

 rence which I have never seen described anywhere, and which I 

 would not have believed possible if I had not seen it. A descrip- 

 tion of the first case observed follows. 



Fig. 4 Photograph and free-hand sketch of an ameba by the junior author, 

 illustrating the form assumed in capturing infusoria. 

 A Surface view, B Side view. 



An ameba, having the form described above, was observed in a 

 watch-glass. A Paramecium swam up to it and came to rest with 

 the anterior end in contact with its basal portion. A pseudopod 

 began to project on either side almost immediately as usual (fig. 

 5a). But when they had reached a point about midway be- 

 tween the two ends of the Paramecium, both changed their direc- 

 tion of movement, and flowed directly toward the body of the 

 Paramecium, soon touching and then compressing it (fig. 5b). 

 This compression continued until the Paramecium was cut in 

 two, one part being taken in by the ameba and the other left 

 outside (fig. 5c). The whole process required only about ten 

 seconds. 



