.^10 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



of bud from which they are especially prone to be 

 developed (see Fig- 8/, d). No further details of the 

 process, however, are given. 



I have seen none of the very large EugleniE described 

 by Dr. Gros, and consequently have not been able to 



observe 



th 



direct mode of origin of Rotifers from 



this particular kind of matrix. Such transforma- 

 tions are, however, by no m^ans confined to Euglen^. 

 Similar changes v/ere seen by Dr. Gros taking place 

 in large vegetal vesicles thrown off from Mosses^, and 

 I have also been able to trace two distinct modes of 

 origin of Rotifers from different algoid matrices. 



In a Vessel containing an abundance of Chlorococcus 

 at the sides and on the surface of the fluid (to v/hich 

 allusion has already been made), there were, in addition 

 to the beautiful vesicles xoVo" ^^ diameter, which be- 

 came transformed into Oxytricha and P^^sconia^, a 



and ^-^" in 



7 " 



number of others varying between 

 diameter — these being evidently larger specimens of the 

 same kind. Many of them were composed of a dense 

 aggregation of the brightest green corpuscles packed 

 within a thick, colourless, cyst-like envelope ie). Amongst 

 these green specimens, however^ others might be seen 

 undergoing various stages of decolourization. The chlo- 

 rophyll at first seemed to become preternaturally green^ 

 though it afterwards gradually assumed a bright orange 

 tint — whilst the contained corpuscles soon gave place to 

 granules, and the whole cyst underwent a slight increase 



^ See loc cit., p. 449 ; PI. I^ figs. 4-7. 



2 See p. 467. 



\ 



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>\^ ^ ^'.: J 









y^% 



3 



\ 





% 





0:igin of simila 



fo 



fl- Encysted Vor 

 coarsely gr? 



^' Small Chlorc 

 '■ ^ ^'ery large 



tro^v 



^ grai 



I 'gemma; ■ 



;PPearance 



"^ into 



