QUARTERLY CHRONICLE OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 297 



remaining portion of the hypha. In a few hours the para- 

 site began to perforate the membrane of the Closterium ; 

 this finally effected a thin process from the extremity of 

 the parasite passed into its cavity. A minute colourless, 

 gradually increasing globule terminated the filament, and 

 the plasma by degrees passed into it. Ultimately it sepa- 

 rated from the filament, elongated itself in the direction of 

 the axis of the Closterium, and in a few days grew into one 

 of the long cylindrical bodies described at the commence- 

 ment. 



In addition to this alternation of vegetative generations 

 there occurred finally a sexual one. When the formation of 

 hyphae has gone on for some time, individual Closteria are 

 found to contain parasitic cells of two forms. One resembles 

 that of the divided cells already described, but somewhat 

 thicker; the others are at once distinguishable by being 

 considerably narrower. The Clostei'ium now dies, and the 

 thinner cells contained in it send out towards their thicker 

 neighbours slender lateral processes, which sometimes 

 become septate. Resorption takes place where the hyphse 

 come in contact, and although a backward and forward move- 

 ment takes place between the plasma of the two connected 

 bodies, the aggregate mass is at last gradually retracted into 

 the larger cell, which is now, in fact, an oogonium. This 

 becomes somewhat inflated, and the contents retracted 

 from the wall and shut oft' by a septum at either end ; 

 this process may be several times repeated, each time 

 the contracting contents leaving behind a septum, until 

 finally the oogonium consists of a nearly round central cell, 

 and two to four lateral cells containing fluid only. The 

 contents of the central cell again contract, and become sur- 

 rounded by a new wall or exosporium. — W. Archer. 



2. New types allied to Chytridiea. — N. Sorokin has de- 

 scribed {' Bot. Zeit.,' 1874, May 15), from the neighbour- 

 hood of Kazan (Russia), two new and singular species closely 

 allied to Chytridieee. The first, Zygochytrium aurantiacum, 

 produced on dead insects in water an orange-red gelatinous 

 coating. This consisted of a mass of a fungoid plant of 

 great simplicity. A single tubular stem-cell was expanded 

 at its base into a lobed organ of attachment or foot, while it 

 divided above into two branches, each bearing an ovoid oper- 

 culate sporangial cell. Beneath each sporangium a short 

 bluntly pointed lateral branch — the ''appendix" — was given 

 off", but its function remained uncertain. The whole plant 

 was filled with golden-yellow protoplasm, containing vermi- 

 lion granules, and enclosed in a colourless membrane. In 



