THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 449 



scopically. The sediment contained a few wood fibres 

 and ducts, and very much granular matter together with 

 actively-moving particles, though no distinct Bacteria. 

 There were also very many ovoid cells (single, and 

 in groups of two to eight), about TT n/' in length, with 

 somewhat granular and rather bright green contents 

 in which a vacuole existed. Other somewhat similar 

 bodies were seen in groups of four, each segment of 

 which was surrounded by a hyaline envelope. In one 

 group the protoplasm within the hyaline envelope was 

 seen to have undergone segmentation. 



Some of this fluid was put on one side in a small 

 corked tube, and when examined after six weeks, the 

 cells had lost all their green colour the contents having 

 assumed a dirty yellowish brown hue 1 . 



Experiment j. A solution containing fifteen grains 

 of iron and ammonic citrate (mixed with a few minute 

 fibres of deal wood), in one ounce of distilled water. 



The vacuum having been ascertained to be well 

 preserved, the neck of the flask was broken eight 

 months after its preparation. The fluid, which was 

 still very faintly acid, was not fluorescent, though there 

 had been a notable amount of sediment for some time. 

 On microscopical examination, the latter was found to 

 consist of dotted ducts and minute portions of woody 

 fibre, mixed with large quantities of granular matter 



1 A certain general resemblance exists between the organisms met 

 with in this experiment, and those of Experiments j, I, and m, as well as 

 those of Experiment 2, recorded at p. 365. 



