124 STARCH SALEP. [BOOK i. 



generally perceive within the cytoblasts some more or less 

 roundish, and more or less curved granules. This is the 

 simplest case. The formation must necessarily become more 

 complex, when in addition to the cytoblast, which is hollowed 

 out and has become converted into starch, several other 

 cytoblasts occur. If this happen, the membrane of the pri- 

 mary cell generally becomes very thick in some places, i. e. a 

 granular mass has been deposited upon it, which must be 

 considered as cytoblasteme, because its structure is of the 

 same granular kind as that of the other parts of the Chara, 

 (for instance the cytoblasteme between every two cells, from 

 which new cells are formed, consequently an intercalary 

 growth,) and is coloured yellow by iodine. In this mass 

 some portions are heaped up, forming one or several more 

 or less globular groups which become expanded and hollow. 

 They are cytoblasts, which do not, however, form any solid 

 membrane on their surface, which by its expansion might 

 enlarge so as to form a homogeneous vesicle, as ordinarily 

 occurs in the process of cell-formation. Thus, whilst in the 

 latter case a thin layer of the cytoblast dilates into a homo- 

 geneous membrane, in the former the whole mass of the 

 cytoblast is expanded, whence it must necessarily become 

 hollow. It appears, however, as if the external lamina of the 

 circumference of the cytoblast is always composed of a harder 

 but still not homogeneous structure. I have often observed, 

 that when there was only one cytoblast present in the pri- 

 mary cell, it was encircled by the cytoblasteme, in which it 

 could be moved like a loose nucleus, by rolling the cell to and 

 fro." (Annals of Natural History, vol. xvii. p. 73.) 



The correctness of this view seems to be established by an 

 attentive consideration of the curious structure which exists 

 in the tubercular roots of many terrestrial Orchids, such as 

 those which form the Salep of the shops. I have shown that 

 such roots abound in large cells filled with a matter as clear 

 as water, and apparently of the nature of bassorin ; and that 

 this bassorin-like principle is composed of minute cells, each 

 with its cytoblast, so compactly aggregated in the interior of 

 the parent cell, that from this circumstance, and from their 

 very equal refracting power, they form an apparently homo- 



