92 IsUMJiEll 12n one GllAlN. 



forth in strings of five or six together, and are 

 detached in water : the young worms can be 

 seen through the transparent skin. In about 

 an hour and a half after the egg is laid in 

 water, the young worm begins to extricate 

 itself; which it took one of them an hour and 

 twelve minutes to accomplish." When largely 

 magnified the head of a vibrio is easily seen, 

 and its curious formation may be observed. It 

 is furnished with a sort of proboscis capable of 

 contraction or extension, like the tubes of a 

 small telescope. The eggs being laid in water, 

 unquestionably facilitates their being taken up 

 by the roots into the interior of the stem ; 

 whence the young ones find their way, as soon 

 as hatched, into the nascent ovule before the 

 appearance of the young ear. Although the 

 larger vibriones which lay the eggs after 

 coming out of the bursting cockles reach the 

 size just mentioned, those contained in the 

 grain are exceedingly minute ; these are so 

 small, that forty or fifty thousand are computed 

 to be sometimes gathered into the soft stringy 

 mass of a single ear-cockle. The large ones 

 die soon after laying the eggs, while those 

 occupying the infected grains retain their capa- 

 bility of exhibiting signs of active life after 



