396 University of CaJifornia Publications in Zoology [Vol. 20 



along the length of the wood. When the protoplasmic body comes in 

 contact with the end, that is completely engulfed first. 



The length of time necessary for the complete intake of any 

 particle could not be learned with exactness, owing to the tendency 

 of the strong light used as illumination for the microscope to slow 

 up protoplasmic movements other than those used in locomotion. In 

 the individual shown in figures 4 to 6, the time of completing the 

 process was found to be one hour. This individual was not held in 

 the field continuously but was returned at short intervals, with only 

 partial light in the interims. When first brought into the light the 

 pseudopods could be seen moving forward with slow creeping motion. 

 In figure 5, a flagellate is shown with one long pseudopod extending 

 out to a branch of the woody particle that is being engulfed. This 

 pseudopod was formed when that branch touched the surface of the 

 body, contact being made at only one point but that strong enough 

 to draw out the strand of clear ectoplasm when the surrounding 

 obstacles forced the piece of wood farther away from the body (see 

 also fig. 13). 



The protoplasm shows remarkable elasticity as well as tenacity. 

 One flagellate was seen with a piece of woody material about its own 

 size attached by a pseudopod 10/a in length. In swimming it met 

 obstacles which its own mobile body easily pa.ssed, but the unyielding 

 wood was caught and the pseudopod was drawn out to about five times 

 its original length. After great struggles the wood passed the 

 obstacles and in a few seconds the pseudopod shortened to less than 

 its original length, drawing the wood with it. 



The body may become almo.st completely filled with woody particles 

 (fig. 11), since the act of engulfing one piece does not prohibit the 

 attempt to capture a second one at the same time by another part 

 of the body. Only rarely is a flagellate seen without manj- food 

 bodies within the cytoplasm. These seem to lie in close contact with 

 the endoplasm in most cases but occasionally may be enclosed by a 

 well-marked food vacuole. Many of the particles within the body 

 of the flagellate show sharply defined outlines, while others, by their 

 vague, structureless appearance, give evidence of the progression of 

 digestive operations. 



No evidences of selection have been found in the feeding of these 

 flagellates. The host termite is a wood-eating species and the 

 intestinal contents consist almost entirely of woody particles. These 

 may be of any size from minute particles to others several times the 



