178 DESCRIPTION OF [Polygastrica. 



In order that the reader may form a correct judgment 

 on this subject, I have had translated the following 

 remarks on the family Bacillaria, by Dr. Meyen (Tahres- 

 bericht, Berlin, 1839) : 



"Dr. Ehrenberg has described and represented, in his 

 great work upon the Infusoria, a very considerable 

 number of organized bodies, looked upon by botanists as 

 belonging to the vegetable kingdom. In these representa- 

 tions, naturalists have been able to attain what has been 

 long desirable ; for, although in respect to the more highly 

 developed and complete vegetable beings the truest deli- 

 neations are indispensibly necessary at the present day, 

 it is much more requisite that every one of these lower and 

 microscopic organisms should be laid before us in the 

 same tangible manner. To the systematist, it is of no 

 import whether these beings are represented as plants or 

 animals, for one thing is certain they will always remain 

 what they are. In this work, Ehrenberg has not only 

 given systematic descriptions of these questionable animals 

 or plants, but his own observations, coupled with those 

 of his predecessors, upon the nature of these bodies, are 

 found copiously detailed. This, however, is apparent; 

 all the facts known upon the subject are interpreted in a 

 manner as if these creations were undoubtedly animals, 

 whilst the same facts would indicate quite a different 

 signification if we proceeded upon the supposition that 

 they were nothing but plants. It now becomes a ques- 

 tion as to which view is right, or whether we are able to 

 prove positively either one or the other. The subject, 

 however, is one of high importance, and we shall say a 

 few words upon it, bringing forward those genera as illus- 



