Miscellaneous. 189 



The preparations were made, first of all, after the fungus had 

 remained for twelve daya in darkness; and we shall describe in order 

 what is to be seen in the superior pellicle, what occurs in the inter- 

 mediate liquid, and what we have observed in the deposit at the 

 bottom. 



A. The pellicle of the surface consists of a multitude of cells of 

 very small size, of an elliptical form more elongated than that of 

 the normal cells, and more resembling a small cylinder furnished at 

 the ends with two spherical caps. In many of them we find one or 

 two vacuoles; and in others the interior mass presents a homogeneity 

 giving it the appearance of a large vacuole filling almost the whole 

 space, leaving the protoplasm reduced to a mere ring bordering 

 the periphery. Many of these cells occur anastomosed, with their 

 longer axes continuous. In various parts of the field of the micro- 

 8coj)e we also observe elongated filaments very similar to the para- 

 sites which have been discovered by M. Pasteur in certain sick 

 wines. The yellowish granules already mentioned are entirely 

 wanting in these preparations of the superficial pellicle. 



In most of these same preparations we have been able to observe 

 the following order of appearances : — ■ 



a. Cells with vacuoles, very little elongated — between 3-2 and 

 4-8 /n in length, and from 1-6-3-2 yu in breadth, the normal cells 

 having dimensions varying between i'r\- by 4*8 /( and 8 by 6*4 ^ ; 

 they are in other respects similar to those of yeast. 



h. Cells which unite in the direction of their longer axes. 



c. Cells a little more elongated and of the same width aa the 

 above, with a vacuole filling the whole of their interior and giving 

 it an appearance of homogeneity. 



d. Cells arising from the union of two others in the manner 

 above described, but in which the wall of separation is still visible. 



e. Cells which, by their length, seem to originate from the union 

 of two, throe, or more, in the direction of their longer axes, and in 

 which septa have disappeared. 



/. Very long filaments, 33"6 |u-46-4 ^ in length, and 1*6 jj. in 

 breadth, with the appearances that have been already described. 



B. In the ])reparations made with the liquid that exists between 

 the superficial pellicle and the mass deposited at the bottom, we ob- 

 serve the same appearances that have been already described ; and 

 the only difference is that the cells are naturally scarcer, and con- 

 sequently fewer of them are visible at the same time in the field of 

 the microscope. The free granules are also absent from the prepara- 

 tions of this liquid. 



C. In the mass deposited at the bottom the ceUs are normal 

 and still almost unaltered. Granules also are visible in the field of 

 the microscope. 



The combination of all that we have said shows the evolution of 

 the cell of Saccharomyces when deprived of light. As in former 

 memoirs, wo abstain from all theoretical considerations until the 

 completion of the series of investigations that we have undertaken 

 with the same purpose. 



Madrid, Jaimiry 11, 1870. 



