The Myxomycetes of Eastern Iowa. 107 



plainly entitle them to a place among the hyphate forms, 

 that have no hyphte whatever in the entire round of their life- 

 history. These are, however, exceptional cases and really do 

 not bear very closely on the question at issue. 



Physiologically the fungi are incapable of independent 

 existence, being destitute of chlorophyl. In this respect the 

 Slime-moulds are fungi; they are near!}' all saprophytes and 

 absolutely destitute of chlorophyl. Unfortunatel}' this physio- 

 logical character is identically that one which the fungi share 

 with the whole animal world, so that the startling inquiry 

 instantly rises, are the Slime-moulds plants at all ? Are they 

 not animals ? Do not their amoeboid spores and plasmodia 

 ally them at once to the amoeba and his congeners, to all the 

 monad, rhizopodal world ? This is the position suggested by 

 De Bary in 185S, and adopted since by many distinguished 

 authorities among whom may be mentioned Saville Kent, of 

 England, and Dr. Wm. Zopf, of Germany, (^D/e Pilzthiere 

 18S5). Rostafinski, who was a pupil of De Bary's, and whose 

 monograph on the Slime-moulds (1873) must forever remain 

 a classic in scientitic literature, adopts the title " Mycetozoa," 

 suggested by his master as indicating a closer relationship 

 with the animal world, but really has little to say in regard 

 to the matter. 



Dr. Schroeter, a recent writer on the subject, after show- 

 ing the probable connection between the phycochromaceous 

 Alg£e and the simplest colorless forms, namely the Schizomy- 

 cetes, goes on to remark: "At the same point where the 

 Schizomycetous series take rise, there begin certain other 

 lines of development among the most diminutive protoplasmic 

 masses. * * * Through the amoeb^K one of these lines 

 gives rise on the one hand to rhizopods and sponges in the 

 animal kingdom, on the other to the Myxomycetes, among the 

 fungi."! 



I In the quotation the present writer has aimed to give the sense rather 

 than an exact translation. 



