194 VEGETABLE PARASITES. 



a level with them, on or below which the brandies occur, which 

 never communicate with the cellular cavity. Robin supposes 

 the partition walls to have been produced by the gradual ap- 

 proach of the roundish ends of two cells. The cellular cavities, 

 closed by the partition walls, "contain usually some molecular 

 bodies, from O001 2 mm. in extent, which are of dark colour, and 

 which move about ; or, instead of these, little bodies of from two to 

 four oval cells, with pale-yellowish cellules, which are more brilliant 

 and less dark than the filaments, closely approaching with their 

 ends, or becoming a little depressed, and possessing homogeneous 

 transparent contents. The end by which they are attached is 

 usually hidden in the centre of a heap of isolated spores, which are 

 sometimes mingled with epithelial cells. By isolating these 

 formations the first cell is found to be a prolongation of the 

 spore, and a free communication exists between its cavities, 

 whether the spore be formed by many cells bearing already 

 branches, or merely be represented by one or two cellular cavities. 

 This spore incloses usually two or three spherical, dark granules, 

 O001 mm. large, with sharp edges, and a distinct motion in the 

 interior. Other spores are often attached very firmly to the ger- 

 minating spores. The free end of the filaments or of their 

 branches, as well as the end which bears spores, are round, without 

 enlargement, or it is formed by a spherical or ovoid cell, which 

 is larger than the preceding, and separated by a distinct process 

 of contraction into one or two smaller cells. The last cell is 

 0-005 7mm. large; the paler cells are probably only just formed; 

 the riper, however, are probably spores ready to separate. When 

 the cells are ovoid or short, the filament acquires a various or 

 twisted appearance which precedes the final swelling. 



2. The spores are spherical, or a little longish, with distinct 

 dark edges, and a somewhat more transparent amber-coloured 

 cavity, which refracts the light strongly, and contains a fine mole- 

 cular dust, or one or two globules O'OOOG 0*0005 m. in diameter. 

 They are seldom placed in rows of from two to four. A part freely 

 floats, but the greater part are attached to the surface of the epithe- 

 lial cells of the mucous membrane of the mouth, in the form of a 

 dense heap. Only when they are met with in separate masses is it 

 sometimes possible to recognise their edges, and the spores are 

 often seen heaped up in round groups. They are easily distin- 

 guished from the globules of milk, the granules of starch, the 

 cells of mucus and epithelium, in connection with which they are 



