1G<S THE MYXOMYCETES OK PICTOU COUNTY. — MOORE. 



rotractctl. Vi'nA niiitcrial is aj)i)ar('iitl_v absorbed in sohnion, 

 biiT a sciics (if (ihscrvatidiis iccoi'jU'd l)_v ^Ir. Artbur Lister 

 ( Liiiii. -Iduni. l.'dtaiiv. \'(il. 2')), cstaljlisbcs tbe fact rliat, in 

 Sdiiu" instance- at liast, li\iiii:- bacteria constitute no inconsider- 

 able ]!iiiri(in (if tbe f(i<!(l of the swarnicrs. Ilis observations 

 were made mi t.be swarm cells df Slcinoii il is fusra, Trirliia 

 fi(i(/llis anil ( 'liDiidfioilcniKi diffurnii'. in all tbcse eases, l)ac- 

 icria wei'c seized ani! drawn intn tbe Imdv of tbe swarmer 

 l)v means of ])S('Uiloj»o lia ]»i'ojeclc(l fi-om ihe posterior end. 

 Tlie inoe^tcil hacici'ia wci'c stiire(l in \acnoles wbere- tbev wero 

 t^iadnalK- diiic-tcd. Tbe process (•om])let'e(b the x'aciinb's wero 

 ob.served to rise To tbe snrface of tbe <warnier as bnWdes and 

 disebar<i(': rbeii- conTenTs of refuse and undigested material. 



Preparatoi'v to under<i-oin<:' dixd-ion tbe SAvann cell witli- 

 draws its tlai:(dlum and round- off. The nucleus tben (li\'ides 

 by kary(>kinesi-, the r.\vo danahter cells de\-el(i)» tiagcdla and tlio 

 .-wanner f(n"ni i- resumed. 



'Idle swaiiiiers fre(|nently ])ass into a resiinii- comlition, 

 reundiui:- otl' and de\(do])inii' a thin wall. In ibis t'oi'm tiiev are 

 kmnvn as microcvsts. After heitiii' dessicated and remoistencd 

 tibe wall breaks open and the ese;i))in<; contents resume the 

 .swarmer form. 



In tlie fusion of tbe swarmers to form pbisniodia the niudei 

 (\(> not a])pear t(t Ix' involveib hut these ]iersist as tlie niudei of 

 the ])lasmodiuni. 



The Plasmodium. The .Myxomyeete).; exbil)it two types of 

 ])lasmodia, the tirst formiiiii- a network of vein-like strands wliicb 

 S])reads <i\-er the surface' of tbe substratum or witbiu its larger 

 cavities; tbe second is more watery in consistency and lives in 

 tlie interstices of decaying v.ood, from wbicb it issues oidy for 

 frncTification. Tbe first type is characteristic of the Pbysaracea' 

 aud the ])bisnio lia of various members of this order ba\'e furji- 

 ished mo^t of the material for tbe investigation <»f tbe mor- 

 pbology and p'.nsiologv of the li\dng ])la-mo(liuin. This consists 



