INFUSORIA. 



IXFITSORIA. 



212 



T. The Umbel (Umbella). Umbel* united in umbels ; the corn- 

 are termed UmbeUule* (Umbellate). 



terminology would have lone ago rejected UMM words, and 

 ,1 them for Spioa and I'mbelU Composite. 

 8. the Panicle (Panicula) ; eee No. 11. 

 Sow of the remaining combination* deserve special names, and may 

 probably be classed among those mentioned under and 11. 

 Inflorescentia Centrifuga. 



. The Cyme or Fake Umbel (Cyma) ; Me No. 5 and No. 14. 

 10. The Antbela; tee No. 16. 



A Mixed or Heteromorphou*. 



Inflorescentia Centrifuga. 



BMXo.14. 

 See Ko. 11. 



Infloreeeentia Centripete. 



/). Many-Times-Compound Inflorescence. 



Infiorescentia Centripete. 



11. The Panicle (Panioula), erery many-branched inflorescence; 

 in Grasses universally, and otherwise only in developed pediceU 



1 J. The Thyrse (Thyrsus), a panicle, with very short pedicels ; with 

 the exception of Grasses, found almost universally. 



Both terms are applied alo to onoe-compound inflorescence*. 

 p Candolle uses the term Thynua for those in which Inflorescence 

 Ceotrifoga and Centripeta are mingled; other* differently; all 

 arbitrarily. 



11 The Anthurun, an inflorescence that hai the kind of aspect of 

 that of the Amaraniktu caudaKu or the CkatopodvKta. 



" Inflorescentia Centrifuga, 



14. The Cyme (Cyma), alao in manifold combination*, in which 

 however we not consider whether the aide ramification! follow the 

 Inflorescence Centripeta or Centrifuga in longer pedicel*. 



The Hunch (Fasciculm), a manifold compound cyme, with abort 

 polionla. and rather crowded. 



16. The Anthela, all kinds of inflorescences in the Juncacea and 

 Cfftraera. 



17. The Olomerule (Olomerulun), many inflorescences that appear 

 almost like a capitulum, and consist ouly of ill-formed, imperfect 

 flowers, as in some Cktnopodiaceie, I'rticatttr, and Juncacetr. 



We subjoin Professor Schlriden's closing remarks : 



1 Irave every one with thinking faculties to draw for himself the 

 sail conclusion! which the preceding surrey affords ; and I think that 

 1 have not to defend myself to any one who is acquainted with our 

 literature against the charge that the foregoing is a frivolous vagary 

 of my humour. Roper first attempted a scientific development of 

 the inflorescence. No one that I know of has followed him, except 

 Lindley. Physiologists seem not to have accounted it of sufficient 

 importance. Bysteiuatiste have too much to do with their herbaria, 

 and it is much easier to coin a new word than to study minutely the 

 taugrteaUe development through a Urge series of plants. For the 

 sake of those unacquainted with these matters I will insert the follow- 

 ing examples : In Lotiu cornimJatiu, Koch (' Syn. FL Germ.') has a 

 Capitulum, Kunth (' Fl. Berol.'), an UmbeUa, Reichenbach ('FL 

 Excura/l, actually a Fasciculus. To Erioptiorum rayinatum Kunth 

 gives s Spica ; Koch, a Spirals. For Cladittm Maructu Kunth has 

 Umbelhe Axillares et Terminales; Koch, Antheke Axillare* et Termi- 

 nales; Keichenbach. Cynuc Axillares et Terminales ; in Itolepii tupina 

 Koch has Spiculis In Fasciculum aggregate ; Kunth, Spicis Con- 

 gioeaeratia. I have ben omitted the French and English botanist/., 

 or the matter would have been still more glaring." 



I N Kl'SO'RI A. This term has bean applied to the numerous minute 

 -* ** found in water, which are commonly called Animalcules. 



The invention of the microscope by Hooke revealed the existence 

 of myriads of living creatures whose presence was before unknown ; 

 ad this instrument has shown that a drop of water, though it may 

 r to the naked eye to be perfectly clear, is perhaps warming 



with living beings. Khrenberg (whose laboun have principally con 

 tributed to the knowledge of the true nature and structure of the 

 amftlemy anunelonles) has described speciss which are not larger than 

 frota MOOOth to 1-SOOOth of a line in diameter, and which are 

 separated from on* another by intervals not greater than their own 

 tee. A eubic iach of water may thus contain more than 800,000 



asiUioos of these beings, estimating thorn only to occupy one-fourth 

 of it* speos ; sod single drop (measuring not more than a line in 

 Miirtii) placfl under the miorosoop* will be seen to hold 500 

 an amount perhaps nearly equal to the whole number o 

 i on the surface of oar globe. 



If a angle drop of water thus swarms with life, what incalculable 

 wnabers of eahneUmlee most be contained in every stagnant pond or 

 lake, and in the sea. 



When Unnaroe arranged all the organised beings known to him in tbe 

 SyUo Netum.' the strootare of these minute animals was not suffi 

 oistrtly aadontood to enable him to distribute them according to their 

 reUUoae in bis evtral olassii; be therefore placed them at tbe end 

 of hi* Use ekss, rrmn, in a genu. which ne denominated Ckao, 

 Otto Frederick Mttller first separated them as a distinct order; and 



as the greater number of animalcules had been detected in liquid*, in 

 which vegetable or animal matters had been dissolved by infusion, he 

 ;ve them the name Infiuoria. Muller described many species, and 

 icquirad a considerable knowledge of the structure and organisation 

 of these minute beings ; but he did not base bis arrangement of the 

 lifferent genera on their varieties of structure, but only on the 

 differences of their external form. Omelin, in the 13th edition of 

 the 'Systema Nature?, 1 adopted Holler's arrangement, as also did 

 Lamarck and Cuvier, who only altered the divisions and subdivisions 

 of the class without changing the mode of arrangement or adding any 

 new facts respecting the structure of these animal*. Bory de St. 

 Vincent formed a new classification ; but he also based hi* system on 

 their external forms, which later investigations have shown to possess 

 little importance as distinctive characters, for two specie* very unlike 

 in external form may be almost identical in internal structure. 



No new facts of importance respecting the organisation of the 

 Infiuoria were discovered after the publication of the work of Miiller 

 in 1773-74, till Professor Ehrenberg of Berlin directed his attention 

 to the subject. He ramie numerous observations on the internal 

 structure of these animals by mean* of feeding them with particles of 

 colouring matter, which he diffused in the water which contained 

 them. The substance which he found to answer this purpose in the 

 most satisfactory manner was pure indigo. It was necessary to use 

 colours not chemically combining with water, but only diffusible 

 through the fluid in a state of minute subdivision, so that the coloured 

 particles might be seen passing through the body of the animal. 



The result of Ehrenberg's labours was given to the world in his 

 great work entitled ' Die Infusionsthierchen,' in which he described 

 upwards of 500 species of these minute beings. When first published 

 this work seemed so complete and so exhaustive of the subject, that 

 it was some years before any one doubted either the correctness of 

 the observations or the soundness of the conclusions of its author. 

 The improvement however of the microscope, and the extended use 

 of this instrument, have recently brought a large number of observers 

 into the field, and many modifications of the view* of Ehrenberg 

 have been introduced. We present here a summary of the conclusions 

 arrived at by Ehrenberg, as a fit starting-point for a history of the 

 more recent views of naturalists and comparative anatomists on the 

 subject of the Infiuoria, : 



1. All the Infiuoria. are organised, and the greater part of them, 

 (probably all) are highly organised bodies. 



2. The Jnfutoria constitute two very natural classes of animals, 

 according to their structure, which classes admit of subdivision upon 

 the same principle. 



8. The existence of the Infiuoria in the four quarters of the globe, 

 and the sea, is proved ; as also that of individuals of tbe same species 

 in the most opposite ends of the world. 



4. The geographical distribution of the Infiuoria upon the earth 

 follows the laws observed regulating that of other natural bodies. 



5. Most of the Infiuoria are visible to the naked eye ; many are 

 visible as moving points ; and the size of the body does not exceed in 

 any case 1-1 2th of an inch. 



ti. The minute invisible Inf aorta, in consequence of their immense 

 and swarming numbers, colour large tracts of water with very 

 remarkable hues. 



7. They give rise to one kind of phosphorescence of the sea, though 

 in themselves invisible. 



8. They compose (though singly invisible) a sort of mould, through 

 living in dense and crowded masse*. 



. In a cubic inch of this mould more than 41,000 million* of 

 single animals exist, and constitute most likely the chief proportion 

 of living bodies upon the face of the earth. 



10. The tnfutoria are the most reproductive of organised bodies. 



11. From one of the known propagative modes of the Infiuoria 

 that is, self-division a continual destruction beyond all idea of the 

 individual, and a similar interminable preservation and extension of 

 it, in air and water, eusue, which poetically border upon eternal life 

 and growth. 



12. The copulation of Gemnue, which perhaps include* the 

 hitherto-unsolved polyembryonate riddle of the seeds of all plants 

 and vegetable formations, is solved in tbe family Claiteria. [DESMIDK.V.] 



13. The Infiuoria, in consequence of their siliciou* sheila, furui 

 indestructible earths, stones, and rocky masses. [DIATOMACK.*.] 



14. With lime and soda we can prepare glass, and swimming brick*, 

 out of invisible animalcules ; use them as flints ; probably prepare 

 iron from them ; and use the 'mountain meal' composed of them as 

 food in hunger. [BKROUERL.] 



15. The invisible Infiuoria are sometimes hurtful by causing the 

 death of fish in pond*, deterioration of clear water, and boggy smells ; 

 but not, as has been supposed, iu giving rise to malaria, plague, and 

 other msladie*. 



16. The Infiuoria appear to be (as far as in yet known) sleepless. 



17. The /nftuoria partly disappear by the de|K>sition of ova, and 

 thereby undergo, passively, various changes of form. 



18. The Infiuoria form invisible intestinal worms in many animal', 

 and in man, even if the Spermatozoa are excluded from amongst them. 



19. The microscopic Infiuoria have also themselves internal and 

 external parasite*. 



