Some Questions which they Suggest. 13 



SWAKM SPORES. And first let us revert to the swarm 

 spores, those little bits of mere translucent protoplasm 

 which escape from the spores of the myxie (Fig. 3) , leaving 

 the shells of the spores, from which they have emerged, 

 behind, as in like manner the spores leave behind them 

 the membrane of the sporangium. We have seen that in 

 some cases the myxies form a membrane or coat as in 

 the sporangium, the spores, the microcysts, and the 

 sclerotium ; and it is probable that this membrane is in 

 some, though comparatively few, cases of the same or a 

 similar nature to the material of cell walls in the higher 

 plants, i.e., is formed of cellulose. But what is to be noted 

 is this, that these membranes are used only as protections ; 

 they are allowed no part or lot in the vital actions of the 

 organism, and, so soon as their protection is no longer 

 wanted, they are cast off and allowed to perish. It is 

 evident that the contained protoplast and not the containing 

 membrane is the dominant partner in the concern. 



A swarm spore has been defined as " a mobile, ciliated, 

 asexual, reproductive cell, destitute of all membrane," or, 

 in other words, it is a piece of protoplasm without any 

 covering membrane, which is produced without any sexual 

 action, and which of itself possesses the powers of motion, 

 of putting out cilia or hairs, and of joining in the repro- 

 duction of the species to which it belongs. That all this 

 should be true of a little bit of jelly is marvellous enough, 

 and presents some of the mysteries of life in a very simple 

 and condensed form. 



Swarm spores, in the sense of the preceding definition, 



