155 
the bodies I refer to spermatozoids, from which they are, however, very different. 
The bacteria are represented at H H, with their various movements (indicated by 
dotted lines), either straight, zig-zag, or rapidly revolving on a central axis; when 
they so revolve they cause a miniature vortex amongst the monads and atoms, I 
have commonly seen one segment move from side to side, as at J, whilst the other 
segment remained quiescent. I have also seen them bud from the centre, and 
occasionally they occur with three limbs instead of two, radiating from the central 
axis. The vibriones are like vegetable screws, and are shown at K. The spores 
and infusoria neither collapse nor burst in boiling. As for the monads, vibriones, 
and bacteria, it can hardly be admitted that they are generated spontaneously 
from inorganic materials ; my experiments rather point in the direction that they 
are only differentiated forms of already living cells. However this may be, my 
boiling has not destroyed either vitality or form, and those interested in the 
subject of spontaneous generation may possibly read the result of the following 
experiment with interest. A dozen semi-decayed specimens of C. radiatus, 
swarming with minute infusoria, were boiled in a test tube for five minutes and 
then hermetically sealed at the highest point of ebullition. Atthe end of a month 
the tube was opened and a drop of its liquid contents at once placed under a cover 
glass of the microscope for examination. Spores, cells, monads, bacteria, and 
vibriones were all there, but the latter motionless and apparently dead. In 
fifteen minutes however they showed signs of life, and began to slightly move about, 
in thirty minutes the movements were decided in nearly every specimen seen, 
whilst in sixty minutes the infusoria darted about with almost the same energy as 
they did before they were boiled. For a better appreciation of the exact form and 
gyrations of the spermatozoids they are shown again at the bottom of plate V., 
enlarged 3000 diameters. At first it requires long and patient observation to make 
out the form of these bodies satisfactorily, but when the peculiar shape is once 
comprehended there is little difficulty in correctly seeing their characteristic form. 
The difficulty is something like that experienced by beginners in separating very 
small and close double stars with a telescope ; at first and sometimes for a long 
period only one star can be seen, till quite suddenly the two are made out, and 
they are seen as two ever afterwards. 
It is not uncommon to find the spores of other dung-borne fungi sticking to 
the specimens of C. radiatus, and it is quite frequent to find not only the spores 
but the perfect asci of certain species of Ascobolus sticking to the under surface, 
to which position they have been projected from the plants of Ascobolus growing 
onthe dung. Ihave also seen the™eggs of various mites, nematoid worms, &e., 
carried up amongst the cells which quite accounts for larve being found within the 
substance of apparently sound fungi, 
In the works I am acquainted with there is no mention of the cystidia 
falling bodily out of the hymenium on to the ground, yet this is the case in several 
Agarics I have examined, and is so with C. radiatus. The spores naturally fall to 
the earth, and with them the cystidia, and it is upon the moist earth that 
fertilisation is generally carried out. All botanists will remember Hoffmann’s 
v 
