^°ournal.*JanTl8m'] I^oj/al Mlcroscoptcal Society. 11 



the one was made had not been detached from the Hving mass 

 many years, whereas the other substances infused had existed as 

 rock for countless ages. Another infusion of old mineral matter, 

 which was obtained from a pecuhar sandy deposit found in the 

 chffs near Bridhngton Quay, furnished hke results. This infusion 

 presents much the same appearance as that of chalk, except in the 

 absence of the ovate organisms so common ia the latter. It con- 

 tains, moreover, other forms of life of an interesting character, which 

 want of space prevents me from particularly referring to. The 

 submerged forest of Holderness has furnished me with another 

 substance for infusion, and from this I have obtained an abundance 

 of organic life of the most unequivocal character. Its most curious 

 forms were small, almost transparent organisms (having a yellow 

 nucleus), which move rapidly through the fluid, though small in- 

 fusoria of several kinds were not wanting. My latest experiments 

 have been with mica ; but as these are not yet concluded, I will 

 say merely that this infusion has produced great numbers of bac- 

 teria and other low animal forms, and that there is the formation 

 of fine long fibres, sometimes in bundles, but often detached, and 

 presenting real vegetable growth. 



Before closing this paper I would mention several curious facts 

 in connection with the above infusions which I cannot satisfactorily 

 explain. The most curious is the occurrence of amoehal hfe. This 

 I have met with in three infusions ; one of them being of marble, 

 another of emery, and the third of coal. The most numerous 

 examples of amoeba were met with in the marble infusion, which pro- 

 duced the Amoeha p'mce^s, another kind which, somewhat slug-like 

 in form and without visible protrusions, may have been only another 

 phase of the princeps and the Amoeba radiosa. Of this last species 

 I only met with one example, but the others were very numerous. 

 The emery provided two splendid specimens of Amoeba radiosa; 

 while in a coal infusion I have found several sj)ecimens of two other 

 species. Of these, one, which contained a large number of crystalloid 

 bodies, is probably a species noticed by Mr. Carter, although I cannot 

 otherwise identify it. These crystalloids appear to me to resemble 

 the curious bodies of a similar character already mentioned as exist- 

 ing in the coal infusion. The other amoeba from this infusion was 

 much larger, and somewhat resembles illustrations of Amoeba ynt- 

 tula. The almost transparent ectosarc of this amoeba, which it 

 protruded as a broad lip, was very apparent as it moved from place 

 to place along the vegetation stems to which it evidently adhered. 

 On one occasion when the lip was curved, I caught sight for an 

 instant of what appeared to be very small cilia in a state of intense 

 vibration. I have not mentioned the presence of these amoebae 

 earher in the paper, notwithstanding their undoubted existence in 

 the chalky sand from the Gulf Stream, because the infusions in which 



