69 
Whether, owing to differences in nutrition and chemical 
metabolism, the remarkable chromatic reticular-centres 
could have arisen instead, it is now scarcely necessary to 
discuss, for while this note was being prepared tor the 
printers I received from Mr. A. Scott, at Piel, another 
equally infected specimen, which turned out to be a 
male. This, of course, left me with only the parasitic 
alternative, as one cannot imagine such an abnormal 
ovarian development occurring im a male. 
Perhaps the chief reason why I gave so much con- 
sideration to the above hypothesis was because the bodies 
are so utterly unlike any known Protozoan. The para- 
site, for which I propose the name Lymphocystis 
johnstonez, 1s, in truth, the strangest Sporozoan (this being 
the only class in which it can possibly be placed) that I 
am aware of, and until I obtaim further stages in its life- 
history, I can only interpret the above-described features 
in very general terms. Kiet. may well represent the 
ectoplasm, now modified into an ectorind, while end. 
corresponds to endoplasm. Presumably the large 
nucleus is the vegetative or “ trophic ” nucleus, although 
in this respect Lymphocystis differs from any known 
Sporozoan, im that while sporulation is proceeding (for 
what else can the chromatic centres represent 7), the vege- 
tative nucleus persists undivided. In a Myxosporidian, 
spore-formation certainly goes on during the trophic 
phase of the life-cycle, but here there are many nuclei, 
some only of which originate reproductive-organelle, the 
others continuing vegetative in function. This single 
nucleus in our parasite recalls more the condition in 
Gregarines, but there the original nucleus breaks up 
altogether at the close of the trophic period to form repro- 
ductive nuclei. Nor in the Sporozoan “ lumber-1oom ” 
(already well filled) is there anything similar. The sole 
form with which Lymphocystis seems to have any point of 
