120 W. ARCHER, 
Eriocaulon. Of this eurious plant small specimens are 
sometimes found floating on the surface of the water, and 
though defunct, their tissues seem not in any way injured or 
disturbed. Inside the cells of this plant small examples of 
this organism are sometimes to be found, to all appearance, 
hermetically closed in, and without any evident mode of 
ingress. But it would be unreasonable to suppose that it could 
be self-generated in the plants it inhabits. Other endopara- 
sites, penetrating from without, as is well known, exist. In 
other leaves, where it can be seen occupying intercellular 
spaces, the marvel becomes, of course, very much diminished. 
It may be found (in Connemara) covering Batrachospermum 
vagum, and lodged in numbers between the cortical layer of 
filaments depending from the nodes, which become dislo- 
cated, and portions of the plant distorted, but such is not very 
surprising. But as to how this production gets into cells of 
several diverse plants inhabiting the same pool is a mystery 
to which I regret I have no clue. 
In certain leaves of Sphagnum in which unmistakeable 
young individuals occur, and again in others in which such 
did not reveal themselves (not always, however, absolutely 
critically examined), certain growths can be seen, generally 
somewhat to one side of the hyaline cell, and sometimes 
pressing in upon, and distorting, the intermediate chlorophyll- 
bearing cells. This forms an elliptic, greenish, coarsely granu- 
lar mass, surrounded by an irregular, colourless, hyaline, in- 
distinctly bounded, roughly striate covering (Pl. VII, fig. 1). 
Sometimes two of these may occur in one cell, and if at the 
same level, or side by side, they together may press more 
upon the adjacent cells, and cause somewhat more marked 
distortion. I have not been able to satisfy myself that these 
have a genetic relationship to the subject of this paper, but 
I am inclined to think they may have. 
Although, then, no “ reproductive”? condition or develop- 
ment of ‘‘ germs” of any kind has ever rewarded my repeated 
collection and examination of this organism, at different 
periods of the year, so far as I am aware, nothing essentially 
agreeing with its general and special characteristics has 
before been described. But one cannot look up Cienkowski’s 
figures of his Labyrinthula-forms, or read his account of them 
(loc. cit.), without being struck with the strong resemblance, 
if, indeed, it may turn out to be no more. 
It becomes necessary, then, to refer to the description 
given by Cienkowski (/oc. cit.), of the two forms for which 
he founded the genus Labyrinthula, and the only one of the 
new group “ Labyrinthulee.” 
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