CONJUGATION. 



[ 206 ] CONNECTIVE TISSUE. 



then lose their cilia, and acquire a red 

 colour, finally forming a resting spore (d). 



The supposed conjugation of VAUCHERIA 

 and similar phenomena in some other Con- 

 fervoids, are cases of fecundation of sporangial 

 cells by unlike antheridial cells, no permanent 

 union taking place. 



The well-known case of conjugation in 

 the Fungi described by Ehrenberg in 

 SYZYGITES, a genus of Mildew Fungi, is 

 described under that head. See also MYXO- 



MYCETES. 



De Bary, Tulasne, and others have ob- 

 served in several Fungi, as Eiysiphe, Pyro- 

 nema, Peranospora, &c., a sexual process 

 which is exactly analogous to what takes 

 place in certain Algae, and in the abnormal 

 Saprolegnice ; the body containing the male 

 element coming into contact with the female 

 organ, and thus producing fruit. This pro- 

 cess seems rather to come under the term 

 copulation than conjugation. 



The conjugation observed in the animal 

 kingdom, consists in the direct union, by a 

 more or less extensive, sometimes complete, 

 fusion of the substances of two or more dis- 

 tinct individuals. In Diplozoon paradoxum 

 the two individuals become united by a 

 cross branch ; and the remarkable result is 

 that sexual organs become developed in 

 both bodies after this. Apparent conjuga- 

 tion takes place also in Actinophrys, Aci- 

 neta, Gregarina, &c. It is, however, pro- 

 bable that the fusion which occurs in many 

 of these cases is spurious, and unconnected 

 with reproduction. 



Podophrya pyrum is one of the best in- 

 stances of true conjugation, the resulting 

 compound individual containing 8 embryos 

 in a single cavity common to both. The 

 true process has also been observed in Aci- 

 neta (mystacina), Vorticella (microstomd) , 

 Paramecium, several Flagellata, &c. The 

 researches of Balbiani tending to show that 

 in many of the Infusoria the conjugation is 

 a true sexual process, have not been con- 

 firmed. 



BIBL. Vegetables: Vaucher, Conferves-, 

 Meyen, Pflan.pliys. iii. 413 ; Hassall, Alyce ; 

 Kiitzing, Phyc. gen. ; Ralfs, Desmid. ; Mor- 

 ren, Ann. Sc. Nat. 2 se"r. v. 257 ; Smith, 

 Srit. Diat. ; Thwaites, Ann. N. H. xx. and 

 ser. 2. i. and iii. ; Braun, Rejuv. (Ray So- 

 ciety, 1853) ; Focke, Physiol. Studien, ii. j 

 Nh'geli, Algen-Syst. 175 j 'Karsten, Sot. Zeit. 

 x. 89; Ehrenberg Verhandl. Naturf. Freund. 

 i. 98 ; Areschoug, Swed. Trans. 1853 ; 

 Sot. Zeit. xiii. 364 ; De Bary, Conjugate, 



1859 ; Griffith, Ann. N. H. 2 ser. xvi. 92 ; 

 Carter, ibid. xvii. 1 ; Hoffmann, Phys. Sot. 

 ii. 155 &c. ; De Bary, Ann. Sc. N. 1866, 

 343 ; Tulasne, I. c. 1806, 211 ; Rostafinakft 

 Sot. Zeit. 1871, 787. Animals: Kolliker, 

 Sieb. u. KoUik. Zeitsch. i. 1, 198 (Qu. Mic. 

 Jn. i. 98); Siebold, ibid. i. 270, iii. 62; 

 Stein, In/us. ; Wieymanris Archiv, 1849, 

 147; Nordmann, Mikr. Beitriige, i. 56; 

 Clapar. & Lachm. In/us, ii. 222 ; Allman, 

 M. M. Jn. 1875, xiv/178 ; Kent, Inf. 92. 



CONJUNCTI'VA. See EYE. 



CONNECTIVE TISSUE, OF ANIMALS, 

 sometimes called areolar or fibro-cellular 

 tissue. 



Connective tissue is very generally dif- 

 fused throughout the bodies of vertebrate 

 animals, filling up the interspaces between 

 the various organs and structures, and 

 entering into the composition of most of 

 them. 



There are several varieties. 



The fibrous or areolar variety consists 

 essentially of white fibrous tissue, mostly 

 containing the elements of the yellow or 

 elastic tissue. The most common form of 

 the white fibrous element is that of minute, 

 delicate, transparent fibres, called fibrillte, 

 with pale outlines (PI. 49. fig. 41) ; these 

 are sometimes single, at others united into 

 bundles or fasciculi. The fibres as well as 

 the bundles sometimes pursue a straight 

 course ; at others they are elegantly curved 

 and wavy, interlacing* in all directions, and 

 leaving larger or smaller areolas or spaces 

 between them, the larger of which are 

 visible to the naked eye. The fibrillee are 

 about 1-40,000 to 1-20,000", and the fasci- 

 culi about 1-7000 to 1-3000" in diameter. 

 In the fasciculi, the fibres are connected by 

 an amorphous, transparent, gelatinous sub- 

 stance. Intermingled with the fibres, are 

 rounded, elongate, or branched cells (con- 

 nective corpuscles) or nucleated protoplasts, 

 which may be well examined in the trans- 

 parent laminae separating the muscles of a 

 frog's leg. Some of these are stationary, 

 but exhibit changes of form. Others are 

 locomotive, with amoeboid movement, and 

 correspond to the white blood-corpuscles. 

 The connective corpuscles may often be 

 rendered more distinct by staining with 

 magenta. When treated with acetic acid, 

 the fibres swell, become paler, and lose their 

 distinctness, the bundles appearing as if 

 fused into a gelatinous mass (fig. 29. p. 69) ; 

 and round or elliptical nuclei, with their 

 long axes parallel to the direction of the 



