252 Mr. H. J. Carter on Difflagia pyriformis. 



large hair pencil^ and spreading it over a glass slide with a piece 

 of white paper under it for the green, and one of black for the 

 colourless specimens, after which the Diffiugice may be easily 

 recognized with a magnifying-glass, separated with a needle, 

 and finally transferred to some clean water previous to further 

 examination. 



On the sides of the bottle holding the sediment I have ob- 

 served several specimens at different heights, and all green but 

 one, which was colourless ; besides, all the specimens which I 

 have crushed under the microscope have contained portions of 

 food ; from which circumstances both green and colourless spe- 

 cimens may be assumed to be still more or less active, although 

 not near so much so as in the spring of the year, — thus not 

 differing from other beings (as will be seen hereafter) in con- 

 tinuing to take in nourishment throughout the greater part of 

 the generative process. During the time that the body is densely 

 charged with chlorophyll-cells, and the grains of sand of which 

 the test is composed are thick and irregular, it is impossible to 

 see the different parts of the animal in situ ; hence it was only a 

 chance specimen which fell under my eye in April last, from the 

 locality to which I have alluded, that, with few grains of sand 

 on it, and very few chlorophyll-cells in the interior, then per- 

 mitted me to make the drawing from which the above descrip- 

 tion has been taken. 



It is remarkable, too, that in no instance have I yet found a 

 coloured grain of sand in the test ; all have been composed of 

 hyaline quartz, as if the animal had exerted a choice in this re- 

 spect — a choice of those particles only which allowed the light 

 to pass through them uninterruptedly. 



Further, with the exception of one adult specimen of Amoeba 

 princeps, I have not seen a single Amoeba, large or small, during 

 these examinations, where, in April last, A. princeps so abounded. 

 It should perhaps be added that there had been very little rain 

 previously for many days, the water had become low, and there 

 was no development, at this place, of the Confervoid Algae, 

 which, on decomposing, afford so much nutriment to the Rhizo- 

 poda. Whether this, or the season of the year, has led to the 

 scarcity of Amoebce at this time or place I have not yet had an 

 opportunity of proving. 



With this short introduction, let us turn our attention, first, 

 to the composition of the green spore-like body, as it is now 

 found in the tests of Difflugia pyriformis, and then to the colour- 

 less one ; for which purpose it will be necessary to remove one 

 of the Diffiugice with the green body (as that is the first to be 

 examined) to a slide, with a little water, and then cover it with 

 a light thin bit of glass; after which it should be placed under 



