162 Miscellaneous. 



amoug the vacuoles, are thin-walled, usually spherical bodies, 

 0-012 millim. in diameter, with hyaline contents, more or less 

 furnished with dark granulations. By the examination of series of 

 specimens, Dr. Greef convinced himself that these granulations 

 become converted into larger rounded bodies, within which a puncti- 

 form centre may be recognized. This centre enlarges simultaneously 

 with the body which contains it, and soon leaves nothing more than 

 a thin ring surrounding it. The envelope of the mother nucleus 

 appears finally to burst under the constantly increasing influence of 

 the nucleoles, which are found scattered in great numbers side by 

 side with others still contained in their mother nuclei. The internal 

 cavity of the nucleole constantly enlarges, so that the peripheral 

 layer completely disappears, and there remains a simple, spherical, 

 hyaline brilliant corpuscle with distinct contours. 



These bodies, when set free, continue to grow in the interior of the 

 Pelomyxa ; and it is probably from them that the shining bodies, 

 which must be regarded as the zoospores of Felomijxa, originate. 

 These shining bodies, which are easily recognizable by their aspect 

 and size even under a low magnifying power, are disseminated 

 through the inner parenchyma in still greater abundance than the 

 nuclei. Most of them are spherical ; but some are oval or pyriform, 

 or even irregular ; the smallest are not more than 0-006 millim. in 

 diameter, and correspond to the corpuscles originating fi'om the nuclei; 

 the largest are 0-06 millim. in diameter. They consist of a solid 

 shining capsule, with perfectly hyaline and homogeneous contents. 

 These shining bodies seem to be able to multiply in the interior of 

 the Pelomyxa itself, by a constriction which separates them into two 

 often very unequal parts. Otherwise no important change is to be 

 observed in them so long as they are still enclosed in the inner 

 parenchyma. It is outside this that they must continue their trans- 

 formations. 



A Pelomyxa, which seemed to be dead and on the point of becoming 

 decomposed, presented to Dr. Greef a totally unexpected spectacle. 

 AU round the animal there appeared a considerable number of little 

 Amoeba?, which soon surrounded the body of their parent in close- 

 set bands. All these Amoebae had the same aspect and the same 

 dimensions, and executed the same movements. With a high power 

 it was easy to detect in their interior a nucleus with its nucleoli, and 

 a contractile vesicle. The constantly increasing circle of the Amoebae 

 gradually dispersed; and in about half an hour the movements 

 became slower and feebler. Instead of amoeboid contractions of 

 the whole body, nothing was to be seen but the extrusion of a few 

 isolated, hyaline, lobed or digitate processes. The little Amoebae 

 soon contracted, and became spherical or pyriform. Then appeared 

 a long undulating filament, which effected their transformation from 

 the Amoeboid to the Flagellate form. Dr. Greef saw them move by 

 means of tliis flagellum ; but he was unable to trace their ultimate 

 destiny. It is consequently impossible to say whether the Flagellate 

 form is developed directly into a Pelomyxa, or, as Dr. Greef thinks 

 is more probable, only attains the latter phase after having passed 



