274 



NATURE 



{July 17, 1879 



of stems than are shown in Fig. 2, such as the piece 

 represented in Fig. 3, where the lime is also removed, and 



which is also magnified forty times. Still poorer in stems 

 is Fig. 4, where only a few nodules of serpentine are pro- 



Fk5. 6. 



vided with stems. Figs. 3 and 4 may at the same time 



Fis. 



Fig. 8. 



serve to illustrate certain round shapes in the serpentine 

 of Eozoon and their almost spiral arrangement. 



by yet more powerful microscopes and under transmitted 

 instead of reflected light. Most of the stems then appear 

 distinctly as simple or ramified, bent plates, giving gene- 

 rally concavo-convex, much less frequently bi-convex or 

 oval cross-sections, as illustrated by Fig. 5. 



Fig. 10. 



This figure represents stems magnified 1 50 times. A 

 the margin of the lime in which the stems are imbedded 

 bands of fine fibres are seen ; we shall refer to these 

 and their significance with regard to the introduc- 

 tion of Eozoon amongst foraminifera. Perfect certainty 



^ifflilHlliimi 



1 





Fig. II. 



Fia. 9. 



If Eozoon sections are cut and ground to such thinness 

 (that they become translucent, then they may be examined 



as to the shape of stems and plates was arrived at by 

 treating the thin sections containing such inclosures with 

 dilute hydrochloric acid until the stems were laid com- 

 pletely bare. Thus they could be separately and closely 

 examined in a drop of water under the microscope, and a 

 clear and exact notion of their shape could be obtained. 



