10 Transactions of the ["SL "irri'«7o" 



in shape broad at the base, but narrowing to a point; while the 

 other was broad throughout, but much shorter than the first, the 

 colour of the " tongue " being a beautiful pink. This preparation 

 remained moist on the slip for several days, and on my then ex- 

 amining it I was surprised to find a great number of small dark 

 bodies moving rapidly across the field, and the larger masses 

 turning rapidly over and over in a most curious manner. These 

 small dark organisms appear to be of the same character as the 

 minute white organisms met with in the chalk and marble infu- 

 sions, and they are of interest, as I have several times seen masses 

 of the crystalline substance containing small dark moving bodies, 

 such as those from which it appears to me that they are derived. 

 Nor, strange as it may appear, is the emery infusion without 

 fibrous growth. This is not plentiful, but on one occasion I found 

 a long fibre, totally unlike anything I had met with before in any 

 of the infusions. It was a slight gelatinous-looking fibre, of a 

 light olive-green tint by transmitted light, with bluish black mark- 

 ings, occasionally tinged with pink, and the stem was " contracted " 

 at regular intervals throughout its entire length. I have met with 

 another specimen of this fibre, although this is not so perfect in 

 form. Another vegetable growth from the emery is of a totally 

 difi'erent character, it having semi-transparent stems showing a 

 yellowish colom' by transmitted light, and masses of emery being 

 attached to it by way of foliage. 



However improbable the above facts may appear, their truth 

 can be supported, at all events, by others of an analogous character. 

 There came into my hands recently a small quantity of sea-weed, 

 with which was a lump of hard matter, somewhat of the appearance 

 of very fine saod, the whole having, as I was informed, been picked 

 up from the Gulf Stream by a passing vessel three or four years ago. 

 On powdering some of this matter and treating it with distilled 

 water I was not surprised to find vitality show itself. The crystals 

 it contains appeared to be coated with the same gelatinous-looking 

 substance, with its attendant granules, such as I have already men- 

 tioned in connection with the marble infusion. This substance is 

 very abundant, and has a very "fleshy" appearance, and it is inti- 

 mately associated with " finger "-hke organisms, which are, how- 

 ever, sometimes aggregated into a considerable crytalline-looking 

 mass. Altogether there is great resemblance between this infusion 

 and that of marble. In the former, however, I have several times 

 met with the amoeba in a most active condition. This is a curious 

 fact, but it was not so surprising to me as it might have been, as I 

 had already met with the amoeba under other circumstances equally 

 strange. 



There is certainly a difference between this last-named infusion 

 and the others experimented with, seeing that the matter of which 



