40 



DKOSEEA ROTUNDIFOLIA. 



Chap. III. 



The little masses of aggregated matter are of the 

 most diversified shapes, often spherical or oval, some- 

 times much elongated, or quite irregular with thread- 

 er necklace-like or club-formed projections. They 

 consist of tliick, apparently viscid matter, which in 

 the exterior tentacles is of a purplish, and in the 

 short discal tentacles of a greenish, colour. These 

 little masses incessantly change their forms and posi- 

 tions, being never at rest. A single mass will often 

 separate into two, which afterwards reunite. Their 

 movements are rather slow, and resemble those of 

 Amoeba3 or of the white corpuscles of the blood. We 



Fig. 7. 



[Drosera rotundifolia.) 



Diagram of the same cell of a tentacle, showing the various forms successively 

 assumed by the aggregated masses of protoplasm. 



may, therefore, conclude that they consist of proto- 

 plasm. If their shapes are sketched at intervals 

 of a few minutes, they are invariably seen to have 

 undergone great changes of form ; and the same 

 cell has been observed for several hours. Eight rude, 

 though accurate sketches of the same cell, made at 

 intervals of between 2 m. or 3 m., are here given 

 (fig. 7), and illustrate some of the simpler and com- 

 monest changes. The cell A, when first sketched, 

 included two oval masses of purple protoplasm touch- 

 ing each other. These became separate, as shown 

 at B, and then reunited, as at C. After the next 

 interval a very common appearance was presented — 



