32 H. B. FANTHAM. 
a ciliate stage in the life-history of 8. balbianii—in other 
words, that the membrane is built up from the agglutination 
of cilia (“ flagella” of English bacteriologists), or even the 
membrane may be decomposed into these flagella (see figs. 9 
and 10). I made some of these preparations myself with 
Viés at Roscoff, and have no hesitation whatever in con- 
firming the correctness of the appearances figured by him in 
his note (11). At the time I was favourably disposed, in 
common with several French protistologists present, towards 
the interpretation set forward in the note (11), but now, after 
careful consideration and the examination of much more 
living material, I think these apparent flagella are myoneme 
fibrils (Pl. 1, figs. 9, 10). They stain deeply with gentian- — 
violet and moderately deeply with iron-hematoxylin, but 
faintly pink with Giemsa’s or Leishman’s stain. It seems to 
me that the myoneme fibrils are split off the membrane 
during its rupture, which sometimes occurs during the vio- 
lent contortions and death struggles of the organisms, 
especially in a damp atmosphere like that of Roscoff. The 
so-called “cilia” then are the frayed out ends of myoneme 
fibrils, still partially attached to the body of the organism. 
It may be that the membrane, as recently suggested to me 
in a private communication from France, is really a “ ciliated 
membrane.’ This seems to agree closely with the view I 
had elaborated, and is supported by the peristome mem- 
branes of Ciliates. I have never seen these flagella during 
life, nor have the French investigators judging by their 
published notes. Itis probable that the “ciliate” appear- 
ances described by Borrel in the case of 8. gallinarum are 
of this nature, and the principal discrepancy between the 
accounts of this organism by Prowazek and himself would 
thus be explained. The fibrillar nature of the membrane is 
none too well shown by the various modifications of the 
1 Biitschli (‘Archiv f. Protistenkunde,’ I [1902]) maintains that in 
Ophidomonas jenensis a terminal flagellum splits into a tuft of finer 
flagella or filaments. This is a somewhat similar circumstance, and helps to 
confirm my view. 
