A Monograph of the Myxogastres. 21 



The plasmodiutn of most species inhabiting dead leaves is 

 discoloured by foreign matter before the change to sporangia 

 takes place. 



The foregoing remarks may be summarized as follows 



1. The Myxogastres, as stated by De Bary, appear to have 

 originated from a primitive group of aquatic organisms, the 

 Flaydlatae. 



2. The sequence of differentiation which gives individuality 

 to the group, is almost entirely confined to the reproductive 

 phase, and follows in many important points, the lines of 

 development observable in the Fungi. 



3. The subordinate position occupied by the Fungi and the 

 Myxogastres in the general evolution of the vegetable kingdom 

 may be traced to the absence of chromatophores. The lichen- 

 forming fungi have succeeded in correcting this fundamental 

 omission in an indirect manner. 



4. There is no evidence in favour of the supposition that the 

 Myxogastres are degenerated members of the vegetable kingdom, 

 whereas the idea that fungi originated by differentiation from 

 chlorophyll-bearing plant ancestors is generally admitted. 



5. The Myxogastres with allied forms included by Zopf 

 differ from all known members of the vegetable kingdom in 

 having the component cells naked, or without a cell-wall, during 

 the entire vegetative phase. 



CLASSIFICATION. 



In addition to the Myxogastres as defined in the present 

 work, other smaller groups, as the Acrasieae of Van Tieghem ; 

 the Monadineae of Cienkowski, &c., are supposed to possess 

 certain important characters in common with the Myxogastres, 

 and have been by some authors united into one group. 



The following outlines of the various schemes of classification 

 will indicate the views of affinity as proposed from time to time. 



The term Mycetozoa as already explained, was first used by 

 De Bary, 1 and in his latest work on the subject this name is 

 retained as follows : 



1 Die Mycetozocn, Zeitschriftf, wiss. Zoologie, Bd. x. 1859. 



