222 DEscEiFTioN OF {Tolygastrica. 



The riews of Ehrenberg on the Bacilla/ria, have, from their first 

 promulgation, had many objectors, whose arguments were well 

 brought together by Dr. Meyen, and are as follows : — 



" Professor Ehrenberg has described and represented, in his great 

 work upon the Infusoria, a very considerable number of organized 

 bodies, looked upon by botanists as belonging to the vegetable 

 kingdom. In these representations, naturalists have been able to 

 attaia what has been long desh-able ; for, although in respect to the 

 more highly developed and complete vegetable beings, the truest deli- 

 neations are indispensably necessary at the present day ; it is much 

 more requisite that every one of these lower and microscopic organisms 

 should be laid before us in the same tangible manner. To the syste- 

 matist, it is of no import whether these beings are represented as 

 I)lants or animals, for one thing is certain — they will always remain 

 ivhat they are. In this work, Ehi-enberg has not only given syste- 

 matic descriptions of these questionable animals or plants, but his 

 own observations, coupled with those of his predecessors, upon the 

 nature of these bodies, are found copiously detailed. This, however, 

 is apparent ; all the facts known upon the subject are interpreted in 

 a manner as if these creations were undoubtedly animals, whilst the 

 same facts would indicate quite a diiferent signification if we pro- 

 coeltd upon the supposition that they were nothing but plants. It 

 now becomes a question as to which view is right, or whether we are 

 able to prove positively cither one or the other. The subject, how- 

 ever, is one of high importance, and we shall say a few words upon 

 it, bringing forward those genera as illustrations of the subject, 

 which, according to my own opinion, are decidedly composed of plants. 

 The first little plant we find described and represented in Ehi'en- 

 berg's work is Goniwn (?) tranquillum (E.) This I discovered in 

 1828, gave a representation of it, and afterwards named it Merismo- 

 pedia imnctata. Ehrenberg himself has observed nothing animal with 

 respect to this j^lant, which belongs to the Ulvaceae, and distinguishes 

 itself remarkably by its continual regular self-di\dsion. The mem- 

 bei's of the genus Closterium belong just as decidedly to the vegetable 

 kingdom as does the Gonium ; but the following reasons are adduced 

 by Ehrenberg as proofs of their animal organization. They possess 

 voluntary motion ; they have openings at the extremity ; they possess 



