154 HIDDEN BEAUTIES OF NATURE 



resemblance to the Polycystinae, noticed under the 

 head of Radiolaria. Cienkowski, who studied and 

 described these creatures in 1867, tells us that the 

 Clathrulina ' multiplies by division/ if we may use 

 another Irishism. He states that the actinophrys- 

 like body in the perforated flint sphere becomes con- 

 tracted and divides itself into two parts. These 

 separated parts, still in the sphere, withdraw their 

 feelers, and appear as two tiny globes. They are so 

 small that they pass out through the openings in the 

 flinty sphere and assume the appearance of the 

 previously-named sun animalcule, throwing out rays 

 in all directions. Next, they develop a stem of 

 attachment similar to that of the parent, and after- 

 wards the ornamentally perforated flinty ball, or 

 ' latticed capsule,' enveloping the head. Let us bear 

 in mind that this ' latticed capsule,' which contains 

 all the animal proper, is but the thousandth part of 

 an inch across. A thousand to make an inch ! a 

 million to make a square inch ! ! a thousand millions 

 to make a cubic inch ! ! ! 



Whatever adjectives we may have employed in 

 extolling the perfections of other rhizopods will now 

 apply with equal if not with greater emphasis to the 

 Clathrulina elegans. 



The rhizopods shown in fig. 44 are known as 

 arcella (Lat. area, an ark ; arcella being the diminu- 

 tive form). They were first described by Ehrenberg 

 in 1830. The shell is part of the creature's own 

 integument, and is therefore intrinsic. Its width 



