36 The Mycetozoa, and 



whether the difference does, or does not, lose itself in a 

 series of easy gradations between the two extreme forms. 

 And yet there are some minds whose thoughts so run 

 along the lines of creative thought that, as if by a happy 

 intuition, they are able to seize these crucial points which 

 are of real value, and to reject those that are useless. 

 Such is the mind of the true naturalist. 



Some slight difference exists amongst naturalists as to 

 the extent to which the group of the Myxomycetes is to be 

 carried viz., whether they shall include or exclude a 

 small group of organisms about to be mentioned, and as to 

 the way in which the two terms Mycetozoa and Myxomycetes 

 shall be used in classification. The following table may 

 be useful as indicating the primary and secondary divisions 

 of the group, which we shall accept in its widest significa- 

 tion : 



Example. 

 'Withagegateplasmodium, 



(a) NOTE. To avoid confusion, it maybe well to state that in the fore- 

 going table we have followed the classification of De Bary that Van 

 Tieghem would write " Myxomycetes " as the name of the whole class 

 where we have written "Mycetozoa," and would write "Myxomycetes 

 proprement dits" where we simply write " Myxomycetes " ; and that 

 Mr. Lister uses ' ' Mycetozoa " for what we have called "Myxomycetes," 

 and so excludes the Acrasiece from the Mycetozoa. 



