124 VEGETABLE PARASITES. 



II. Merismopoedia Ventriculi (Meyeri). Tab. I, fig. 2. 



Class Isocarpeae. 



Sub-class Malacophycea. 



Tribe Palmellea. 



Cellula globosa elliptic^, aut raro polyedrica, liberce ; plus vel 

 minus discreta, vel in strata plerumque definito aggregata. 



Genus Merismopoedia. 



Phi/coma parvulum non affixum, quadratum, planum ; gonidiis 

 (cellulis) quaternatiis, solidis (aquaticce). 



Species M. ventriculi. 



Synon. Genus: Sarcina. Species: S. ventriculi (Goodsir). 

 Sarcina of authors. 



Phycoma coriaceum, pellucidum, quadratum prismaiicum aut 

 irregular e ; 8, 16, 64 cellulis quadratis quaternatis, nucleatis, leviter 

 (Bruginosis compositum ; diam. cellularum 0*008 mm. ; nucleorum 

 0-002-4 mm. ; strata longit. 0-030 O'OSO ; lat. 0-016 0*020 mm. 



This is a compound membranous, transparent plant, formed 

 out of cubical, elongated, prismatic, or even irregular masses, 

 which are ordinarily composed of eight, sixteen, or sixty-four 

 cubical cells (gonidia).. Each cell is divided on its surface, 

 through slight furrows, into four prominences (frustula, Goodsir). 

 The neighbouring cells touch, or barely touch each other, and are 

 usually coloured of a faint red. The internal nucleus has the 

 bright brown colour of the entire mass. 



Habitat. In ventriculo hominis sani et agroti aut Leporis 

 cunicul. in facibus hominis et imprimis diarrhoicis, in urines 

 crassiminibus et pene tabido et abscessum gangrcenosorum ex c. 

 pulmonum. 



This plant, which for the host it inhabits appears so injurious, 

 consists generally of cubical prismatic, roundish, or irregular 

 masses of cells, which are square at one end and round at the 

 other, and of which the largest are 0*055-30 mm. long, and 

 0-020-16 mm. broad. These masses are very consistent, re- 

 sembling the corium ; they are to a certain degree elastic, heavier 

 than water (so that they fall to the bottom in liquids), colourless 

 or slightly brown or reddish, transparent. According to Virchow, 

 they are coloured yellow at first by iodine, and swell up, and are 



