CHLAMYDOMYXA LABYRINTHULOIDES, 115 
furnished with numerous linear pseudopodia. Now, the point 
worth mentioning here is that it possesses the power to eject 
with force, and rapidly, a considerable number, or (one might 
say) to “ fire off” a simultaneous “ volley ”’ of its own orange 
granules, from all round its periphery, to a distance equal to 
the length of its pseudopodia, and with an amount of energy 
and consentaneousness which is truly surprising; no sooner, 
however, have the granules reached a tolerably equidistant 
limit from the periphery than they begin to return, but, by 
comparison, much more slowly, and they become reabsorbed 
into the general central mass. This curious action I have 
happened to see on only two or three occasions, and under 
only a low power ; I, of course, immediately turned on a higher 
power, but the performance so rapidly accomplished was 
over, nor would the perverse thing repeat it. Other similar 
forms evince comparable phenomena in a less pronounced 
degree. But the question comes up, how was this remark- 
able action effected? The little balls were suddenly ejected 
and gradually retracted, each in a quite straight radial line ; 
they must have been held in by something, or they would be 
shot off beyond recovery, either by a minute special cord of 
sarcode, rapidly evolved and again gradually retracting, or 
they must have passed either in or along the linear pseudo- 
podia. Ifthey passed up the middle of the pseudopodium 
it must be capable of great distension, or, if upon the pseudo- 
podium, they would seemingly be thrown off beyond retrieval, 
unless (like Actinospherium) there were a subtle enclosing 
sheath over a central axis to keep them in. Whether then 
it is possible to compare the modus operandi of the rapid 
movement of the round orange granules of the rhizopod 
alluded to, if on the pseudopodia, with the slow gliding action 
of the “ spindles ” on the filiform threads in the present orga- 
nism, may be a matter of question. 
Not less singular and curious than the spindles are the 
filamentary tracks upon which they travel. There is no per- 
ceptible difference in their width, or rather tenuity, near the 
great main trunk, or at the remotest extremity, nor after a 
ramification. The main trunk and the branches differ in 
size, as has been said, and a branch may become so small as 
to show the contained granules, evidently within it, in single 
file, and even of that degree of slenderness it is still recog- 
nisable as a branch, and it is at least as wide as a single 
granule or spindle. But the filamentary tracks proper are 
(by comparison) much narrower than the spindles, appear 
like delicate ‘‘ silvery” lines (eluding observation sometimes, 
owing to being out of focus), and they do not give the idea 
