DESCRIPTION OF A MONERON. 185 
Radiolaria which inhabit the fine calcareous mud of these 
abysses, the Bathybius is found in great quantities, some- 
times in the shape of roundish, formless lumps of mucus, 
sometimes in the form of a network of mucus, covering 
fragments of stone and other objects. Small particles of 
chalk are frequently embedded in these mucous gelatinous 
masses, and are, perhaps, products of their secretion. The 
entire body of this remarkable Bathybius consists solely of 
shapeless plasma, or protoplasm, as in the case of the other 
Monera—that is, it consists of the same albuminous com- 
bination of carbon, which in infinite modifications is found 
in all organisms, as the essential and never-failing seat of 
the phenomena of life. I have given a detailed description 
and drawing of the Bathybius and other Monera in my 
“Monographie der Moneren,” 1870," from which the draw- 
ing in Fig. 9 is taken. 
In a state of rest most Monera appear as small globules of 
mucus or slime, invisible, or nearly so, to the naked eye; 
they are at most as large as a pin’s head. When the 
Moneron moves itself, there are formed on the upper surface 
of the little mucous globule, shapeless, fingerlike processes, 
or very fine radiated threads; these are the so-called false 
feet, or pseudopodia. The false feet are simple, direct 
continuations of the shapeless albuminous mass, of which 
the whole body consists. We are unable to perceive 
different parts in it, and we can give a direct proof of the 
absolute simplicity of the semi-fluid mass of albumen, for 
with the aid of the microscope we can follow the Moneron 
as it takes in nourishment. When small particles suited 
for its nourishment—for instance, small particles of decayed 
organic bodies or microscopic plants and infusoria—acci- 
