^osphate in 



- colourless 

 ^t the fifth 



spended in 



'luish-white 

 le solution, 

 i;ion except 

 itly to their 



f the fluid 



repeatedly 



of a lens, 



about the 



observed, 



from the 



tish speck, 



seemed to 



iree or 



four 



s 



also pef 



larger 

 lid be, a 



mass 

 nd 



na 



c 





ked ef 



the 

 the 



;rease 



edifl 



inc 



; 



TW^ BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



465 



It was found that the tube acted as a water-hammer 

 only to a trifling extent before it was opened^ though^ 

 when the narrow end of the tube was broken ofF^ there 

 was a sHght dull report, and a quantity of small particles 

 of glass were swept by the in-rush of air into the 

 fluid. There had still, then, been a partial vacuum in 

 the tube. The reaction of the fluid was found to be 



■ J 



slightly acid. 



This tube was opened in Dr. Sharpey's presence. 

 He had examined the white masses previously with a 

 pocket-lens, and when the vessel was broken the larger 

 white mass issued with some of the first portions of 

 the fluid, which were poured into a large watch-glass. 

 It was at once taken up on the point of a penknife 

 and transferred to a clean glass slip, where it was im- 

 mersed in a drop of the experimental fluid and then 

 protected by a thin glass cover. On microscopical 

 examination, we at once saw that the whitish mass 

 was composed of a number of rounded and ovoidal 

 spores, with mycelial filaments issuing from them, in 

 all stages of development. The spores varied much in 

 shape and dimensions ^ the prevalent size being about 



in diameter, though one was seen as much 

 in diameter. They all possessed a single and 

 rather large nucleus, which was mostly made up of an 

 aggregation of granular particles. Some were just begin- 

 ^ing to develop mycelial filaments ^ others had already 

 given origin to such filaments, which were about ^sVo" 

 in diameter, and in which were scattered some colour- 



1 // 



as 1 ''' 



VOL. L 



H h 



