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daughter cells. This renders the solution of the fact of many perfect plants being 
contained within the outer spherical cell, and the inequality of their numbers in 
that cell, satisfactory. No reproductive process is known, save division. None of 
its class and congeners produce zoospores. It is of a bright chocolate colour in the 
mass; dryish and friable in ordinary weather; in wet times it is sticky and 
glutinous. It may be said of what use can these alge be? The answer, although 
not so transparent as in many other instances, is, that every earthly thing is of 
use. The Gleocapsa on the damp rock performs its mission in life. In the mass 
there may be but little to attract attention ; nevertheless, it would not be there if 
utterly useless. It often happens that the very small things which to the unassisted 
eye are of no importance, are amongst the most splendid things in creation. Take, 
for instance, the diatomacee, the scales of some of the lepidoptera, the entomostraca; 
take the fungi Asterosporium Hoffmanni, the entire genus of Pestalozzia ; take this 
Gleocapsa, as already has been said, the artist cannot do justice to it. There is a 
use for it; it is a microscopical glory ; small though it is, it has engaged the atten- 
tion of us to-night. With regard to its geographical distribution, it is found in 
Great Britain sparingly, also in Norway, Sweden, Italy, Austria. As far as I 
have been able to ascertain, it is unusual to be able to get a clean gathering of it, 
as it is generally intermixed with a large amount of other alge and mud. 
