246 Mr. H. J. Carter on Fecundation 



described, and thought to be ovules or embryonic cells*, and 

 that during this time the chlorophyll passes into red grains and 

 subsequently disappears, while the organism is secreting a cap- 

 sule round itself, and its original cell- wall passes into a tough 

 spherical ovisac, so to sjieak. But what becomes of this if it 

 be the result of impregnation, or what the pi'ocess of impregna- 

 tion is like, or when it takes place, is for future discovery to 

 determine. E. viridis does not become capsuled in this way, 

 and is found floating on the vt^ater aggregated into layers one 

 cell deep, or buried singly in the mud of tanks, after the capsu- 

 lation has thus taken place. 



It now only remains for me to state that my observations on 

 Eudorina this year have been chiefly confined to two pools within 

 two hundred yards of each other, one of which, viz. No. 1, is in 

 a clean quarried excavation in the trap-rock, and the other, viz. 

 No. 2, in an excavation in the soil. In both, which were pre- 

 viously dry, the rain fell on the 31st of May, so as to form small 

 pools of water about two feet deep j and in both, on the 3rd of 

 June, the water was tinged green with Eudorina, &c. 



In No. 1, Eudorina elegans, Chlamydococcus, Euglena viridis, 

 and an elliptical unicellular Alga abounded, to the exclusion of 

 almost every other organism of the kind. The Eudorina was 

 undergoing the process of fecundation, and the Chlaniydococcus 

 the transformations above described, respectively. On the 8th, 

 the specimens of Eudorina under fecundation began to get scarce ; 

 and on the 13th the Pandorina-form made its appearance. By 

 the 14tli all organisms of the kind except the Eudorina and 

 Chlaniydococcus had disappeared, and the Pandorina-ionw was 

 also rarely seen. The Chlaniydococcus then began to float on the 

 surface in the Proiococcus-ioxm. above mentioned, and at length 

 this sunk to the bottom, when, by the 19tli of June, the remains 

 of Eudorina and Chlaniydococcus were but sparsely scattered 

 through the water, which had now lost its green tint ; indeed, 

 it was evident that the develoi)mcnt of all the green organisms 

 had become exhausted. Up to this time there had been only a 

 few more drops of rain ; but the next morning the storms of the 

 monsoon commenced. 



In No. 3, Eudorina elegans, Eugle^ia viridis, and Trachelomonas 

 aboimdcd, to the exclusion almost of every other organism of the 

 kind; thus it contained no Chlaniydococcus, while No. 1 con- 

 tained no Trachelomonas. Corresponding changes took place in 

 the Eudorina to those above described, with the exception of the 

 impregnatory one. 



Out of a dozen instances in which I have watched the deve- 



* Annals, vol. xx. p. 3G. pi. 1. lig. 10", 185/. 



