414 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



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division d'autres organismes, qu'ils sont une impasse et 

 la fin d\me serie vitale -et rarement une forme de tran- 

 sition (Micrasterias, Arthrodesmus^ etc.)/ 



Amongst the many special instances illustrating the 

 truth of his views which are mentioned by Dr. Gros 

 there is one to which I will now call special attentiorij 

 as I have quite recently observed transformations of an 

 almost similar nature. 



Green cell-like bodies which had taken origin from 

 a Moss-leaf were, after a time, seen by Dr. Gros to 

 become converted into colourless specimens of Actino- 

 phrys. These increased in size, and ultimately retracted 

 their rays previous to developing cilia and becoming 

 converted into one or other of the forms of Ciliated 

 Infusoria ^. Other specimens of the same cells under- 



i 



went repeated subdivision, and their segments assumed 



85 



Some of 



these four-segmented bodies were afterwards seen to 

 separate into their elemental parts, and each of them 

 divided obliquely (j) so as to form two ellipsoidal 

 corpuscles, which speedily developed into some of the 

 endless forms of Naviculi^ ^. 



My own observations were as follows : — Having 



^ Loc. cit., pp. 452 and 50T. 



2 On the other hand, Arthrodesmus, Micrasterias, and other PediastrCc^, 

 whatever may have been their origin, are said by Dr. Gros to lapse into 

 the confervoid mode of growth whenever they are placed upon a damp 

 soil (loc. cit., p. 452). At p. 311 Dr. Gros also speaks of the origin of 

 Arthrodesmus from the fission-products of Euglen?e, and of these being 

 converted in the manner above stated into Navicul^^, 







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