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were shown to be an elongated-oval in shape, and with the ex- 

 ception of a very thin film of transparent substance bordering 

 the periphery, the cell was filled with a brown granular mass. 

 The cells were arranged end to end in a somewhat peculiar 

 manner. At first sight the arrangement seemed to be that of 

 a long spiral, but on closer inspection it was recognised that 

 the circle of the spiral was not made complete, but that the 

 line of cells just before completing the circle, at each turn, re- 

 turned upon itself, so that on one side of the column the spiral 

 looked perfect, but on the opposite side there was a slit ex- 

 tending the whole length of the column, bordered on either 

 side by the rounded loops and intervening open spaces caused 

 by the line of cells returning upon itself instead of completing 

 the circuit. I believe each cell to have been disconnected from 

 the others in the line of growth, although the majority seemed 

 to be just at the touching point. I possessed no means of 

 identifying this curious organism (if already known to science), 

 but judge it may be one of the unicellular confervae. The 

 weather for some time previously had been very dry. Eain 

 commenced about 6 a.m., and by 8 a.m. the confervoid (?) 

 spores had attained an enormous development. The rain 

 ceasing shortly afterwards, and the sun being warm, the pave- 

 ment quickly dried, and the slimy patches were left as only 

 dirty stains. The morning following was also wet, but the 

 lowly organisms manifested but a very feeble vitality, and all 

 traces of them quickly passed away. My observations did not ex- 

 tend beyond the distance covered from Government House to the 

 Children's Hospital (about three-quarters of a mile), and can- 

 not say whether they were present in the city or beyond the 

 point in North Adelaide to which I traced them. Their distri- 

 bution over this length was moderately even, but around the 

 walls and gateposts of the Children's Hospital the patches 

 were unusually large. The warm, humid conditions of the 

 morning were no doubt specially favourable for the rapid in- 

 crease of the species in question, but the sudden appearance of 

 the form in such incalculable numbers, where their presence 

 had never been suspected, is a somewhat curious phenomenon. 



"Walter Howchin. 



