412 UTRICULARIA NEGLECTA. Chap. XVU. 



in a decayed state. In these six bladders, a large 

 number of the quadrifid processes contained transpa- 

 rent, often yellowish, more or less confluent, spherical 

 or irregularly shaped, masses of matter. Some of the 

 processes, however, contained only fine granular 

 matter, the particles of which were so small that they 

 could not be defined clearly with No. 8 of Hartnack. 

 The delicate layer of protoplasm lining their walls 

 was in some cases a little shrunk. On three occasions 

 the above small masses of matter were observed and 

 sketched at short intervals of time ; and they certainly 

 changed their positions relatively to each other and 

 to the walls of the arms. Separate masses sometimes 

 became confluent, and then again divided. A single 

 little mass would send out a projection, which after a 

 time separated itself. Hence there could be no doubt 

 that these masses consisted of protoplasm. Bearing 

 in mind that many clean bladders were examined with 

 equal care, and that these presented no such appear- 

 ance, we may confidently believe that the protoplasm 

 in the above cases had been generated by the absorp- 

 tion of nitrogenous matter from the decaying animals. 

 In two or three other bladders, which at first appeared 

 quite clean, on careful search a few processes were 

 found, with their outsides clogged with a little bro^\Ti 

 matter, showing that some minute animal had been 

 captured and had decayed, and the arms here included 

 a very few more or less spherical and aggregated 

 masses ; the processes in other parts of the bladders 

 being empty and transparent. On the other hand, it 

 must be stated that in three bladders containing dead 

 crustaceans, the processes were likewise empty. This 

 fact may be accoimted for by the animals not having 

 been sufficiently decayed, or by time enough not 

 having been allowed for the generation of proto- 



