188 ARCHER, ON STEPHANOSPH#RA PLUVIALIS. 
Carter, too, speaks of a condition apparently “ rhizopo- 
dous”’ of the contents of the cells of Spirogyra crassa ;* but 
he has lately seen fit to alter his views. He now thinks that 
this was not really due to an ameeboid condition of the con- 
tents of the cell itself, but rather, if I understand his re- 
marks aright, to a true rhizopod, whose germ had been in- 
cluded by some means within the mass of protoplasm, or that 
it was a development of the parasitic plant Chytridium 
endogenum (A. Br.). Judging from the analogy of the other 
cases cited, it does seem, indeed, not improbable that it may 
have been likewise an example of an amceboid condition of 
the protoplasm, though it seems possible that this, as well as 
the development of Braun’s Chytridiwm endogenum, may have 
been witnessed by him. Unfortunately his paper, which is 
published merely in abstract from the ‘ Journal of the Bom- 
bay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society,’ is without illustra- 
tions, and it is difficult to gain an exact idea of what the 
phenomena really were which it is intended to record. But 
he seems to describe a truly rhizopodous state of the so-called 
“monads” (zoospores) enveloped from the Chytridium, which 
may really be the case in point, and which at least remind us 
of the phenomena described by Schenk as regards the zo- 
ospores in the closely related parasitic plant, Rhizidium in- 
testinum, before alluded to. Carter likewise seems to speak 
of a “ polymorphous” condition of the shell contents in the 
Characez ;+ but the plants under examination by him, so far 
as I can venture to judge, seem to have been in an abnormal 
and decaying condition, and had apparently become the prey 
of some parasites—nay, he speaks himself { of the hole by 
which the parasite might have found its way into the infested 
plant. That the whole was in an unhealthy condition I 
venture to think, from his speaking of the occurrence of a 
transparent mucus, with a great development of Bacterium 
termo (Duj.), (mucus and Bacterium taken together being 
Zooglea termo, Cohn), and always indicative of the decay of 
the mass amongst which it makes its appearance. Therefore 
zoospores of Syachytrium Taraxact (de Bary et Woronin) that “they 
[often] creep about in an amceboid manner, which lasts some time, finally, 
however, assuming a round form and coming to rest.”...... Synchytrium is a 
new genus, very closely related to Chytridium and to Rhizidium, upon 
which latter Schenk’s observations above adverted to were made. 
* «Annals of Nat. Hist.,’ 2nd ser., vol. xix, p. 259. 
+ ‘Observations on the Development of Gonidia from the Cell Contents 
of Characee,” &c. (Ann. Nat. Hist.,’ 2nd ser., vol. xvi, p. 1); also “ Fur- 
ther Observations on the Development of Gonidia from the Cell Contents of 
Characer ” (‘ Ann. Nat. Hist.,’ Ynd ser., vol. xviii, p. 101). 
$ ‘Ann. Nat. Hist.,’ vol. xvi, p. 21. 
