84 THE PSYCHIC LIFE 



merits, the cellules of which are pierced by pores; 

 through these orifices they penetrate into the cellules 

 and fuse with the immobile ovoid bodies, which are 

 nothing else than zoospores. 



The psychical phenomena attending this mode of 

 conjugation may be still more complicated, as shown 

 by the observation that Berthold has made upon the 

 conjugation of the zoospores of the Ectocarpus silicu- 

 losus. The Ectocarpus belongs to a group of algae char- 

 acterized by the presence of mobile spores which re- 

 produce the plant. These zoospores are little pear- 

 shaped cellules, of which the tapering end is colorless, 

 and the rounded end shows a brownish-green colora- 

 tion, which is due to the presence of an extensive 

 chromatophore; at the edge of the chromatophore a 

 deep depression is sharply marked, which appears to 

 be an eye. Every zoospore is equipped, in addition, 

 with two flagella, which rise from the same point of 

 the lateral skirt of the anterior extremity of the body; 

 one of these flagella points forwards and the other 

 backwards. When the zoospores are 

 set at liberty and begin to swim about 

 in the water, they pass each other by 

 unnoticed. The female cellule does 

 not draw about her the male cellules, 

 from which, moreover, it differs by no 

 Fig. 9. Sexual re- morphological mark. But at a given 



production of the Ecto- 

 carpus siliculosus. Dif- moment the female zoospore becomes 



ferent stages of the fe- 

 male zoospore while distinguished from the male cellules 



entering the state of 



rest (after Berthold). by passing into a state of rest; where- 

 to, the base of the anterior flagellum, which is laterally 

 inserted, proceeds to blend with the anterior part of 

 the body with the effect that the flagellum appears to 

 rise from the extremity; during the same time, it 



