ANIMALCULES IN VEGETABLES. 



141 



M. Von Grotthus, after a chemical analysis, to be a 

 meteoric mass ; but M. Yon Bergelius, who also ana- 

 lysed it, could not discover the nickel said to be 

 contained in it ; and Von Grotthus then revoked his 

 opinion. It is mentioned in Chladni's work on 

 Meteors, and appears as an aerophyte in Nees von 

 Esenbeck's valuable Appendix toR. Brown's "Botan. 

 Schriften? Ehrenberg has examined this substance, 

 some of which is contained in the Berlin Museum, 

 (also in Chladni's collection,) microscopically. The 

 whole has been found to consist evidently of a 

 compactly matted mass of confervce, and of about 

 twenty- nine well preserved species of infusoria, of 

 which three only are not mentioned in Ehrenberg's 

 large work, although they have since occurred living, 



FOSSIL ANIMALCULES. 



near Berlin. Of the twenty-nine species of infu- 

 soria, only eight have siliceous shields, the others 

 having those which are soft or membranous. These 

 infusoria have now been preserved one hundred and 



