l/f^. 



lerec;^,,,..^ 



heir 



conversi 



l>eyond 



lOD 



If 



our 



uc to 



tn both 



crystal^ 

 cases «■;: 



cts whicl 



,1 



) 



unable to en; 

 of phenomerii . 



• . « 



ition and k. 

 ds of such m 



i 



be seen witk 

 whilst the contf 

 lined by as t 



ariable ii'- 



•e 



rly V 

 erted into a s' 



rgoi ng 



i;ecriiieiit5- 



But seeing- 



met^^ 



•ith un^f 



the 



ailFerence 



f 



1 the P 



mcnts 



ex ^ 



fornix 

 this 



js 



ti. 



seri^^' 



rv^^ BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



4^7 



We 



series of changes in which 



as in thess embryonal 



n r 



spheres and in the embryonal areas of the pellicle 

 the portions of matter undergoing metamorphosis^ may 

 either segment into o^^ or other of various lower 

 forms of life^ or may each be transformed bodily into 

 a single large organism. 



Some remarkable transformations liave also been ob- 

 served taking place in individual chlorophyll corpuscles 

 which still remained in situ within the filament. ' A 

 careful examination of these chlorophyll corpuscles soon 

 suffices to convince the observer that they are veritable 

 independent units. They grow^ in fact^ and frequently 



L 



undergo spontaneous division after the fashion of an 

 algoid corpuscle or gonidium^ as Nageli long ago ascer- 



'r 



tained. It is not at all uncommon to see some of 



M I 



L 



the corpuscles within dying filaments of Nitella become 



^■_ 



of a bright grass-green colour and increase very much 

 in size, growing more or less ovoid or irregular in 

 shape, and exhibiting certain irregular markings in 



♦.' 



their interior. The later modifications which cor- 

 puscles affected in this particular manner undergo 



■1^ 



have not been ascertained, though changes of a dif- 

 izi\t "^' * ferent nature have been followed out much more 



completely. 



An uninjured Nitella internode, two and a half inches 

 in length, had been placed with some water in a corked 

 test-tube, -It retained its vitality for a long time, 



\ 



