The Microscope. 57 



I measured, in place of being 0.4 mm, the maxium diameter given 

 by Leidy, was 0.85 mm in diameter, with rays projecting 0.45 

 mm beyond the margin of tlie body. There are scores of indi- 

 viduals in my jar, and the average is in excess of 0.75 mm. 

 The largest specimen measured liad a diameter of 1.36 mm, and 

 there are not a few individuals that seem to» be equally as large. 

 It is worthy of record that a large proportion of the specimens 

 that passed under the microscope had been feeding on small 

 specimens of Cyclops. Rotifers seem to be a favorite article of 

 diet with Actinosphairium, and even the individuals that succeed- 

 ed in capturing Cyclops contained often three of four Rotifers. 

 Difflugia was taken by a few, but none so far as observed, had 

 condescended to feed on Diatoms or other forms of Alga?. It 

 has been a matter of surprise that a creature so sluggish as 

 AcUnospha'.rmm should be able to capture Cyclops. How the cap- 

 ture is made I have thus far not been able to determine. 



Amoeboid movemets in the red blood corpuscles of anaemic 

 PERSONS. — Browicz (Centralbatt fur Klin. Med.) claims to have dis- 

 covered striking movements in the blood of ana-mic patients. 

 He has observed the phenomena so far in four cases : one of per- 

 nicious and one of simple anaemia, a third of septicaemia, and 

 a fourth case of cancerous cachexia. The blood was observed in 

 a fresh state upon a simple glass slide, and under an ordinary 

 cover-glass. No special arrangements were needed for keeping 

 the blood warm, as the movements would continue for hours if 

 the preparation was not allowed to dry. A power of 600 di- 

 ameters was used. 



It seems that Hayem has observed similar movements, but 

 referred them to some parastic infection of the blood, but 

 Browicz regards them as a sort Browian movement, depen- 

 dent uj^on some change in the chemical structure of corpuscles 

 or plasma. That this explanation is probably correct he infers 

 from the fact that the movements often continue for days, at an 

 ordinary temperature, and long after the white corpuscles in the 

 same preparation are lifeless. This he holds to be inconsistent 

 with the known range of vital action in protoplasm. — Journal 

 Am. Med. Ass^n. 



A minute organism. Bacillus siibtilis, is always associated in 

 yeast with the fungus, Snccharomyces cerevisix, and some doubt 



