358 The Microscope. 



ing the two individuals much more quickly than they other- 

 wise would have done. Immediately upon touching one another, 

 the at iirst narrow neck uniting them rapidly enlarged (Fig. JOj, the 

 protoplasm of the one flowing into the other, and vice versa, until 

 the two animals had united into an oblong-shaped mass. The flow- 

 ing of the protoplasm from one to the other was a most interesting 

 sight, and could be distinctly seen, owing to the numerous granules 

 which it contained. Both animals played an equal part in the 

 union; a current of protoplasm could be seen streaming fi"om the 

 first into the second, and near it another current from the second 

 into the first. There were as many currents as there were threads 

 ^of denser protoplasm uniting them. Like all the observed cases, 

 the denser and more granular portions of the protoplasm separating 

 the vacuoles from one another never mixed with anything but the 

 corresponding protoplasm of the individual with which it united; 

 hence there was no destruction of vacuoles, but merely an addition 

 or union; and, moreover, the peripheral layer of vacuoles always 

 remained on the periphery, while the central mass of vacuoles 

 flowed to the center of the united mass. The heliazoan now grad- 

 ually changed from the oblong or ellipsoid shape to that of a sphere 

 (Fig. 11), and here I left it, to seek other fields. 



A nearly identical individual to the one just mentioned was 

 found and seen to capture by one of its rays another but smaller 

 heliazoan. As a result of a movement of the water, the smaller 

 individual chanced to come in contact with the tip of a ray of the 

 larger animal, and there to unite with it, whereupon the larger 

 heliazoan gradually drew in its ray and the smaller creature with it. 

 It was an interesting sight to see this process. The ray seemed 

 rather to flow into the spherical mass or body of the animal, since a 

 stream of protoplasm was rapidly and constantly flowing down its 

 center into the animal, and the smaller heliazoan was likewise flow- 

 ing into the larger by this means; but, nevertheless, the ray grew 

 shorter and shorter, until, finally, the heliazoa came in contact 

 (Fig. 13), and then a union took place similar to the one described 

 above, except that here the flow of protoplasm appeared to be solely 

 from the smaller to the larger animal. Before the animal had 

 become entirely spherical, the denser inner portions of the smaller 

 heliazoan had united with that of the larger and appeared as a 

 swelling upon it, while the peripheral zones of both animals had 

 united. This offered to be such a good example of the mode of 

 union of the protoplasm of two heliazoa that I figured it (Fig. 15). 



