THE FERTILIZATION OF AMCEBA PROTEUS. 223 



hollow nuclei which, in many cases, resemble the nuclei of 

 some Pelomyxa-\\ke forms. In the specimen from which Fig. 1 1 

 of my original paper was taken, there are more than 200 of these 

 centers of multiplication, while in the encysted form shown in 

 my original Fig. 12, a section of which is shown here in Figs. 13 

 and 14, there are about 250 of these sporoblasts. 



The ultimate form assumed by the Amoeba in the material 

 which I possess, may be described as a collection of these sporo- 

 blasts, each one of which is a hollow sphere, the walls being 

 studded with minute granular nuclei from 70 to 100 in number 

 (Fig. 14). They lie about the one remaining primary nucleus 

 which is shown in the section reproduced in Fig. 13. 



A first examination of these nuclei in the sections gives the 

 impression that the amoeba body is well infested by parasites and 

 this indeed, was my belief until a critical examination of the ma- 

 terial in all stages, convinced me of my error.' While under the 

 belief that these nuclei were parasites I sought to interpret the 

 several phases of the Amoeba cycle which was described in 1904, 

 as effects of such an infection. I concluded that minute parasites 

 enter the body of Amoeba, stimulate the nucleus to divide as 

 does Plasmodiophora brassicoe the cell nuclei in the cabbage root, 

 and then multiply by division in the interior of the endoplasm, 

 the rapid multiplication filling the body with the minute granules 

 which, earlier, I had interpreted as chromidium granules. My 

 impression was strengthened by the observations of Schubotz l 

 who interpreted the nuclei which I had described in A. proteus, 

 as degenerating nuclei, an interpretation with which 1 quite agree, 

 although not in the sense he meant. Prandtl 2 still more recently 

 has published an interesting account of the development of young 

 forms of Allogromia as parasites in the endoplasm of Amoeba 

 proteus and he also agrees with Schubotz that the nuclei described 

 in my earlier paper are degenerating nuclei, and suggests that 

 my " chromidium granules " may be young phases of an organism 

 similar to the Allogromia which he describes. 



While frankly admitting the possibility that these small nuclei 

 may be parasites, a possibility which with fixed material and on 



1,1 Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Amaba blattce und A. proteus,' 1 '' Arch. f. Prot., VI., 

 1905. 



2 " Der Entwicklungskreis von Allogromih, sp.," Arch. f. Prot., IX., 1907. 



