1882.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



in 



Zodlogique de France, there is a Con- 

 tribution to the Study of the Flagel- 

 lates, by J. Kiinstler, illustrated by 

 three plates, which deserves more 

 than a passing notice. The author 

 begins by a historical review of the 

 study of these infusoria, which is 

 very useful as well as interesting. He 

 alludes to the different opinions that 

 have been held by authors as to the 

 position of these organisms in the 

 scale of life, closing the chapter v/ith 

 the latest classification, that of Stein, 

 which he seems inclined to adopt as 

 the best. 



The descriptive part follows, and 

 in this chapter are recorded a num- 

 ber of new observations, which pos- 

 sess great interest, indicating that 

 the author is a careful observer, and 

 also demonstrating the superiority of 

 the optical appliances of the present 

 day over those used by observers in 

 the past, for work of this kind. The 

 organism most thoroughly studied in 

 these researches, was similar to Cryp- 

 tomonas onata, Ehr. The attachment 

 of the flagellawas carefully examined. 

 They are " inserted upon a fleshy 

 cushion {bourrelet charnu) situated at 

 the bottom of a tube which rises in 

 the centre of the vestibulary cavity 

 and surrounds these organs." A 

 transverse striation, similar to that of 

 muscles, was observed on the flagella, 

 after treatment with reagents. Be- 

 sides the terminal locomotor organs 

 above mentioned, these creatures pos- 

 sess also another group of flagella 

 which, owing to their extreme tenuity 

 and transparency, have not been here- 

 tofore observed. These are situated 

 in a series on the sides of the su- 

 perior slope {e'chancrure) and are prob- 

 ably organs for the prehension of 

 food. They are also to be found in 

 other flagellates, as Chilomonas, Cryp- 

 iomonas and others. 



The body-covering of the animal 

 presents a reticulated appearance, 

 caused by the very regular distribu- 

 tion of grains of starch found in the 

 inner portion of the tegument, which 

 is made up of several distinct layers 



which are described. Passing hastily 

 over this interesting part of the sub- 

 ject, some physiological considera- 

 tions occupy the next few pages, but 

 our notice is already quite long, and 

 we can only translate an interesting 

 passage, comparing certain process of 

 animal and vegetable life : — 



" The production of starch, in those or- 

 ganisms, does not seem to constitute a 

 phenomenon absolutely dependent upon 

 the function of the chlorophill, nor is it a 

 direct consequence of it ; because its in- 

 tensity does not increase in a direct ratio 

 with the abundance of light, but it is 

 rather an immediate result of the second 

 mode of nutrition which they possess, that 

 which is exercised by the injection of food. 

 In vegetables exposed to the light the 

 chlorophyll corpuscles always contain one 

 or several grains of starch ; if they are 

 placed in darkness, these granules disap- 

 pear in a very short time, but others form 

 after they are again placed in the light ; 

 the fabrication of the starch is in them, 

 therefore, absolutely dependent upon the 

 conditions of light. 



" Among the Crypiomonas, on the con- 

 trary, when they find easily within reach 

 nutritive material in abundance, this pro- 

 duction of starch becomes so considerable 

 that, by the continual thickening of the 

 grains, these organisms finally become 

 opaque, after which, if the food becomes 

 more scarce, the production of starch 

 diminishes progressively, and in a con- 

 comitant manner, until it ceases, however 

 favorable may be the conditions of light, 

 or however intense their green coloration." 



We cannot do full justice to this 

 most admirable memoir of original 

 investigation, by any brief rdstane that 

 we might give here, but, so far as we 

 have been able to judge, it is one of 

 the most valuable contributions to 

 this subject that has recently Tap- 

 peared. 



NOTES. 



— Mr. John W. Sidle has written a pri- 

 vate letter to us concerning the use of the 

 iris-diaphragm above the objective to re- 

 duce the angular aperture, in which he 

 states that somewhere in the Quarterly 

 Journal of Microscopical Science, or in 

 the Monthly Microscopical Journal, 



