430 Mr. H. J. Carter on the Develojynient o/* Sorastrum, 



in the form of small groups of still smaller individuals (al- 

 though, perhaps, of different sizes in their respective groups, 

 as the latter consisted of eight, sixteen, or thirty-two indivi- 

 duals), we had the elements of impregnative generation, at 

 least the spermatic or microgonidia, if not the germic or ma- 

 crogonidia also — some of which groups retained their figure 

 entirely, and increased slightly in size, while others became 

 disintegrated. The former having lost the cells provided by 

 the parent, respectively remain on in the gum-bottle ; but 

 whether they will live to go through the winter, growing into 

 large groups for further development next year, has yet to be 

 proved, while on the other hand, they may all perish, and the in- 

 dividuals of the parent groups alone form the winter or passive 

 stock. The latter were too minute to follow ; indeed it was 

 difficult, from their smallness, to conjecture even the total num- 

 ber in each group. They, on separation, might have become 

 ciliated and active, for the pui-pose of searching out the female 

 passive cell ; but although in one or two instances I saw them 

 after disintegration, they had then a globular shape, but were 

 stationary — that is, evinced no movement. These disintegrated 

 stationary ones, too, were probably abortive ; for when in full 

 force and normal development, the spermatic cells bound oflf 

 from the disintegrating group in quest of the passive females 

 ready at the same moment to receive them, and soon disap- 

 pear, either by entering into them or by becoming still forms 

 (that is, losing their cilia) from failing of their object, and thus, 

 sooner or later, perishing altogether. Hence, except by a 

 stroke of great good fortune, it is almost impossible to follow 

 them after they have left the parent group. 



How beautifully is the object of Nature obtained by making 

 only one element of impregnation active ! Conceive the con- 

 fusion that might exist were both elements active in vegetable 

 infusions, where such beings are almost as thick as grains of 

 sand on the sea-shore, and in species almost as infinitely 

 numerous. 



Lastly, we come to the formation of the sporangium, which 

 was first seen, on the 6th of September, almost synchronously 

 with the evolution of the baby groups and the change of form 

 &c. in the individuals of the parent group which did not part 

 with their gonimic contents, or, in other words, whose contents 

 were not evolved in the form of the baby groups. And this 

 brings us to the question whether these individuals are female 

 cells, and whether their impregnation takes place through 

 some preparatory opening in their cell-wall, to form the spo- 

 rangium, or whether the contents of the individual are first 

 eliminated in the form of a free macrogonidium, to receive the 



