CHARACE^. 3 



This membrane is studded over with a number of minute 

 granules, which impart colour and texture to the plant. 

 This inner membrane is represented in fig. 7. Concerning 

 these granules, Mr. Varley makes some curious remarks : 

 " The minute green bodies always adhere to the membrane, 

 and never to the outer tube. In some specimens these 

 green bodies are so regular as to leave only a very narrow 

 and even partition, whilst in others, the green studs are very 

 scanty and irregular at the parting lines, appearing rather 

 scattered about, as shewn in fig. 11. In such places, if 

 the green bodies be patiently watched through a doublet 

 l-60th focus, they will be seen occasionally to expand and 

 contract, change their form, move a little round, then more, 

 and then go on to a whole turn or more ; move forwards a 

 little, and sometimes start off out of the field ; some I have 

 followed till they stopped behind stationary ones, and I have 

 seen some come into the field and be stopped ; also minute 

 darkish dots are seen running along between these studs, 

 and some of these would turn aside as by an eddy, and 

 stop between them. Again, whilst writing this, I have seen 

 some (where an open space had been made by bending 

 or teasing the stem) move forwards, and then return ; three 

 or four separate ones came together laterally, then went 

 forwards close to the regular and undisturbed ones ; they 

 then, after stopping some time, came back, and parted a con- 

 siderable distance from each other, and with the motion of 

 others, they were lost to any further observation, and the 

 next day all the irregular ones had moved, and some parts 

 assumed a more regular arrangement." The singular move- 

 ments above described correspond precisely with those of 

 the Zoospores described in the Introduction, to which, in other 

 respects, one would not suppose them to be analogous. 



Mr. Varley considers these green granules to be placed on 

 the external surface of the inner membrane, to which, from 

 their power of locomotion, they must be supposed to adhere 

 but feebly. The purpose which they serve in such a situation, 



it is not easy to determine : were they adherent to the inner 



G 2 



