PLANT LIFE IN PONDS & STREAMS 



ing plant which has puzzled naturalists even more, 

 for it certainly possesses many very animal-like 

 characteristics. Its name is Euglena Viridis and we 

 require our highest magnification to examine it for it 

 does not exceed one — two hundred and fiftieth 

 part of an inch in length. Usually, Euglena 

 is cigar-shaped but, as it possesses the very 

 unplant-like characteristic of not having a firm cell 

 wall it can change its shape to a considerable extent 

 and it often assumes curious forms. At the forward 

 end of this minute plant there is a single whip-like 

 thread, by means of which it swims; a little below 

 the base of the whip, there is a red eye spot. Else- 

 where we have described how the protean animal- 

 cule feeds by flowing round its food-material, 

 Euglena feeds in a similar manner, but it also feeds 

 after the manner of a plant. When this active little 

 plant is about to increase it either divides into two 

 lengthways or becomes surrounded with a firm wall 

 within which it breaks up into a number of young 

 forms which are released later by the bursting of 

 the wall. 



Small wonder that scientists were in doubt con- 

 cerning the true nature of Euglena, its non-walled 

 cell and peculiar mode of feeding are indeed 

 puzzling. There are many similar cases amongst 

 these lowly organisms, in fact there are some 

 creatures which may best be described as partly 

 plant and partly animal. Those of our readers who 

 are interested in such problems may read an excel- 

 lent account given much more fully than we could 



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