1 



Ix 



TITE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE, 



the branching of the thread is not sufjficient, or the mode 



Cladophora glomerata assumes a multitude of 



of branching. 



forms which it would be rash in the extreme to separate 

 and it may be safely affirmed that of published species of 

 Cladophora and Conferva, at least one-half will ultimately 

 be reduced. Where Cojt/ervcE are exposed to drought, they 

 sometimes throw down roots from their joints in search of 

 moisture, a circumstance which must be taken into account 

 in the estimation of species. In Lynghya muralis the threads 

 often anastomose, producing a very curious and puzzlino- 

 appearance. ... In Anabaina and allied genera, the number 

 and disposition of the fertile cells will not afford safe cha- 

 racters ; nor will mere microscopic measurement, which is 

 often deceptive, and should be always taken with consider- 

 able latitude amongst Oscillatorice. The zoospores even of 

 the articulated Algse are not absolutely constant. Monstrous 

 forms occur in the small zoospores of Cladophora, and the 



JEdo. 



Characters like those in Hassafs 



Water 



ascertained that these plants take on many distinctly differ- 

 ent modes of growth from time to time, but that they also 

 frequently throw off some of their terminal cells in the form 

 of gonidia, which straightway proceed to undergo a process 

 of segmentation after the fashion of the gonidia of Lichens, 

 so as to produce a palmelloid growth, which frequently 

 assumes the form of Protococcus viridis. Some of the cells 

 of these, after a time, may again take on the linear mode 

 of growth, and so revert to the original Lynghya type. At 

 other times, by the occurrence of a lateral mode of segmen- 



are, at the sa 

 ,,., another, that 

 ',t been separat< 



te 



famihes c 

 ; the earl] 

 if'«; the adult s 

 2 ken classed i 

 ,iil))-most algo 

 .jtaection betwi 

 :")eiseu, and igi 



of the ins 



fl 





are altogether inadmissible, as specific distinctions.' 



From a study of some of the Oscillatorice, and more 

 especially of Lyngbya muralis, Dr. Hicks ^ has not only i'''*6''sen colour 



''!&tinct form 

 cells or 



.iitinds, 



segr 



not 



shap 



ea 



"''" or less 



rounc 



.r'lctt length 



HL 



■•'tfeii 



not 



°<:casional 



\ * 



^^chi, 



'Hm 



■■\ \ 



ethr 



exces 



'« 



ead 



^F 



^ *Journ, of Microsc. Science,' i86i, p. 157. 



-I 



V ^' latt 



er 



gei 



V| 



