THE MOVEMENTS AND REACTIONS OF AMCEBA. 



I 99 



of two or three concrete cases among those which I have observed in 

 Amoeba angulata will bring out the nature of the behavior under such 

 conditions. Penard (1902, p. 7) mentions that he has seen one 

 Amoeba pursue and finally capture another, but does not give a detailed 

 account of the process. 



(i) Two Amoebae were observed, a large one and a small one, the 

 former apparently attempting to swallow the latter (Fig. 75). The 

 small Amoeba was creeping rapidly forward, while its wrinkled pos- 

 terior portion was enveloped by the anterior part of the larger Amoeba. 

 The large Amoeba had the anterior portion of its body quite hollowed 

 out, so as to form a cavity large enough to contain the entire small 



FIG. 75.* 



Amoeba, and in the anterior portion of this cavity was inclosed the 

 hinder portion of the body of the smaller Amoeba. Whether this 

 cavity was bounded below as well as above and at the sides by pro- 

 toplasm I could not determine with certainty. The large Amoeba was 

 following the small one, moving at about the same rate. There was 

 no union between the protoplasm of the two ; on the contrary the 

 boundaries of both were clearly defined, and they seemed to be only 

 slightly in contact, the posterior end of the small specimen moving 

 easily within the cavity of the other. As they moved forward, some- 

 times the posterior specimen flowed a little faster, and then a little 

 more of the smaller one became enveloped ; at other times the smaller 

 Amoeba moved a little faster, and then withdrew a part of its inclosed 



* FIG. 75. Pursuit of one Amoeba by another. See text for explanation. 



