426 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



his plant appears not quite complete, as he omits to mention (ad- 

 mitting the identity) that the cylindrical hyaline outer envelope of 

 the generally but few, say 2 to 8 or 10, component cells is closed at 

 both extremities, rounded off at one — the upper — and produced and 

 (at least temporarily) attached to other objects at the other, or 

 lower, extremity. This plant, therefore, simple as it appears, seems 

 to offer a differentiation of extremities — a basal and an apical. The 

 examples agreed with Reinsch's in the dimensions of the cells them- 

 selves, their ovate figure, and their being involved, within the outer 

 cylindrical envelope, by a number of special hyaline investments ; 

 these, however, not seemingly nniiormly foicr (as Reinsch depicts), 

 hut sometimes two, three, or four, and standing off from the cells at 

 uneven distances. Some of the examples showed cells recently 

 divided, quite as shown by Reinsch, enclosed in the tubular common 

 envelope, with their longer diameter in the direction of its length, 

 thus unlike C. nuda, in which the cells are placed transversely. That 

 author does not state that the contents are not a bright, but a dull 

 lurid green, very opaque. Thus, the morphology of this plant seems 

 to point to a close affinity with Sormospora, which, too, has its 

 forms with the cells longitudinally placed (H. mutabilis and others), 

 and transversely {H. transversalis), but the filaments o^ Sormospora 

 are bright and beautiful green, the cell-contents characteristically 

 arranged, and they form very long filaments, seemingly unattached. 

 But as forms or form-species (for they cannot be accounted more so 

 long as no reproductive process is known), those referable to Gylin- 

 drocapsa seem quite distinct, and none more so than the form now 

 exhibited ; it seems to be very rare ; Mr. Archer had never before 

 noticed it (and now it was extremely scanty), aufl G. nuda had only 

 once turned up. But whether these be mere stages of other growths 

 — mere form-species or permanent parthenogenetic forms — at least, 

 just as well as many others, constantly recurring and perfectly 

 distinct things, such as Nageli's genera Apiocystis, OpTiiocytium, 

 de Brebisson's Sormospora, &c. &c., the much more rare forms 

 now drawn attention to, referable to Cylindrocapsa, are entitled to 

 hold a place for purposes of reference until at least more may per- 

 chance be known as to their true nature and position. 



