Boyal Microscopical Society. 203 



before these bodies had attained to their proper growth. Being 

 desirous of preserving this particular mass for watching in the 

 growing shde no reagent, as iodine, &c., was apphed. 



In some of the medium-size masses, and even in the smaller 

 ones, without any distinct border to the edge of a denser character 

 than the general mass, these corpuscular bodies were larger than 

 those which were set free by the rupture of the enclosing membrane, 

 but whether they differ inter se from the enveloped granular bodies 

 is unknown. 



On the sixth day in the growing slides amongst the little motion- 

 less corpuscles some Bacteria were present, as Bacterium termo, 

 and Bacillus suhtilis, Cohn. 



Each of the corpuscles showed a well-defined central dark point 

 on focussing up, which appeared bright and surrounded by a fine 

 dark ring on focussing down ; not exactly as if containing an ordi- 

 nary nucleus, but rather as if it depended upon the pyramidal 

 shape of a highly refracting central body ; yet in some this small 

 central mass under high powers appeared irregular in outline, and 

 as if disposed for division, though without any corresponding differ- 

 ence in the outer portion of the corpuscle. Vide Fig. x 2040. 



The masses when compressed indicated no distinct aperture, 

 though in two uncompressed there appeared a small pale circular 

 spot with a better-defined edge than the vacuoles, which possibly 

 might represent an orifice or nucleus ; yet it was only seen in two, 

 so may have been accidental. When divided by force the masses 

 remained separated, and were not drawn back, nor did there seem 

 to be any tendency to divide, further than that many looked as if 

 they had thrown off part of the mass which remained as a smaller 

 globular or circular body adherent to it by the edge, sometimes two 

 or three such being present. 



The term vacuole has been used to mean simply a more or less 

 outlined differentiation of parts of the internal sarcode mass, aiid 

 which appeared to alter in shape or position so slowly and indis- 

 tinctly as to be only noticeable under long examination. 



With the above characters I have found it somewhat difficult to 

 relegate these bodies to any definite place amongst either the 

 Phytozoa or Protozoa, though they fall, I think, more nearly 

 to the naked PJiizopoda. No defined nucleus was certified as being 

 present in any of the masses, nor was any act of fission noticed, 

 and nothing of the character of ingesta was seen in the interior of 

 any of them, so that the nourishment is probably drawn from the 

 surrounding medium in a soluble state. 



The only Amcebaform or true Khizopodous bodies found in the 

 same water were very minute sarcodic masses with comparatively 

 long processes; some of these are figured, though they may not 

 bear any relationship to the violet-coloured masses nor to the little 



K 2 



