250 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



tained different Infusoria, and, among other animals, specimens oiMolosoma. 

 But it seemed for some time as if there were no Amixbse in the slide, until 

 a small one was discovered near the channel. In shape it seemed like an 

 elongated triangle, and was rather tor])id, or at least moved but little. 

 The rest of the paper we transcribe in full. 



" While I was examining it, it moved up closer to the line of the 

 channel, and another Amoeba, about twice the size of the first one, came 

 gliding on the scene. It moved up very close to the other, and in a few 

 minutes I noticed that it looked as if it were trying to swallow the smaller 

 Amoeba, and in the same manner that it does its ordinary prey. As I had 

 watched many Amcebse and had never seen anything like this, and as I 

 knew they did not prey on each other, and the question of their conjugation 

 was a very doubtful one, I dismissed the idea of the larger absorbing the 

 smaller, and concluded it was merely the fact that they were in too tight a 

 place to allow of their passing each other, which gave them this appearance. 

 I watched them constantly for about half an hour, in course of which time 

 I became convinced that somethfng unusual was going on. 



The larger Amoeba had entirely surrounded the smaller one, which, 

 however, did not lose its vitality. First it seemed to be under the endosarc 

 of the larger, and then above it. Sometimes it would project a pseudopod 

 out from beyond the ectosarc of the larger animal. All the time it was 

 distinctly visible in its own individuality, if one may so call it, and did 

 not at all seem to be trying to escape. I called Mr. Holman's attention to 

 the singularity of the behaviour, and expressed my belief that it was a case 

 of either cannibalism or conjugation. He expressed his disbelief in either 

 of these cases, and observing that the water in the slide was evaporating, 

 we allowed a little to creep in under the closed edge of the cover-glass. 

 This seemed to relieve the large Amoeba from the constrained position and 

 flat contour which it had assumed, and it immediately commenced to put 

 out pseudopods and move away; and the smaller one moved off with it, 

 evidently engulfed in the larger one, and quiescent in that position. 



The small Amoeba occupied a position in the upper part of the larger 

 one. As this last moved on, it seemed to push the small one in an opposite 

 direction from that which its granules were taking, till it reached about 

 the centre of its body. Then it commenced an evident effort to expel the 

 smaller one. It reached out its pseudopods in every direction, gradually 

 expelling the smaller one imtil it was completely discharged. The smaller 

 one by this time assumed an almost spherical shape. 



At last the large Amoeba ceased moving, and commenced to expel refuse 

 matter siich as is common with them. It had anchored itself near some 

 other refuse matter, probiilly vegetable, and really looked as if it was using 

 it as a sort of grapple for the purpose of ridding itself of the rejected smaller 

 Amoeba. It was successful; for in a few moments it moved away to the 

 upper part of the field, leaving the round ball, looking in every respect like 

 an encysted Amoeba, near the little group of refuse. It went on in the 

 field, and we followed it for some time, when it became quiet, and we went 

 back to the encysted one. I watched it to see what would happen next, 

 for it seemed as if there must be some strange sequel to our remarkable 

 observation, and the watching was not in vain. The flat disc commenced 

 by a sort of contractile movement to throw out particles or granules, as 

 if it were laying eggs. I can think of no other expression, although the 

 particles, while approximate in size, had not regularity of shape. This 

 continued till the Amoeba again assumed its clear and transparent appear- 

 ance, and at last, seeming to fully regain its activity, put out a pseudopod 

 and moved in the field, leaving behind it a group of particles or granules. 



