140 . 
other portion of the circumference of the conjoined pair of 
individuals, showing that during the original act of fusion, 
by mutual putting forth of a projection from each inner 
sarcode-body, the spines must have become raised up thereby, 
and, as it were, shunted aside, so as still, however, to come to 
stand vertically on the exterior of the broad connecting 
isthmus. There is no apparent line of demarcation evident 
between the two conjoined individuals; nor could it be 
decided, as regards certain of the spicula, standing, as it 
were, half-way, to which of the conjugated individuals they 
may have originally belonged ; nay, it is just conceivable that, 
after separation, there may even take place an actual mutual 
interchange of a few of these. 
But the point which most of all deserves consideration in 
the specimen before us, and probably that which would next 
attract attention on looking at the figure, is indicated by the 
small, bright, red, round body at the middle of each of the 
“conjugated” pair of individuals, the high colour preseated 
being due to the extent to which the carmine dye has been 
absorbed. I would here refer to Greeff’s figures of living 
specimens of Acanthocystis spinifera to show the appearance 
presented by the presumed “ central capsule,” which I was 
able very well to see in many of the examples I have had 
under examination. In relation to this form and its central 
body, Greeff nowhere, however, goes so far as to call it a 
** central capsule ” (he refers to it as a “ centrales kernartiges 
Gebilde ; ”’ in another place as “‘ Kern ;”’ again, as ‘‘ centrale 
Blase’). But to the very similar, nay, seemingly quite 
identical-looking body in species of Astrodisculus, he does 
not seem to hesitate to apply the term “ central capsule.” 
To my eyes this has here a somewhat solid-looking aspect 
and appears colourless, and of course prevents the intrusion 
of any of the granular contents of the “extra-capsular” 
region of the inner sarcode-body. We have, then, in the 
conjoined specimen, shown by my fig. 7, the outline of this 
“central capsule ”’ still faintly indicated, but which has not 
acquired any higher colour from the carmine solution than 
that of the extra-capsular region ; but the minute round body 
in the centre of each, as before alluded to, has imbibed the 
colour very strongly. Now, the question at once presents 
itself, what does this little rounded central (here highly dyed) 
body represent? If, indeed, observers will go so far as to 
conceive that the structure first described by Greeff in this 
form be truly homologous with the central capsule of the 
marine Radiolaria, then I would venture to suggest that the 
1 Loc. cit., t. xxvii, figs, 20, 32, 
