Archek — On Chlaiitydomyxa Labyiinthidoides. 149 



ti'ue to tlie idiosyncrasy of this oi-ganism, in a noiTaal state, each, of the 

 balls is not long without fonuing a special "^'all (as in the figure), and 

 a number of globular, smooth, simple-walled, secondary iadividuals 

 are produced ia the cavity of the large multilaminated primary one. 

 One sees before one an object something like an oogonium of a Sap- 

 rolegnia, but there does not appear any analogy between them. 



Such is an attempt to convey an idea of this organism, which may 

 perhaps stand for the present as CMamydomyxa lalyrinthidoides, as it 

 presented itself in the natural condition, especially the first and 

 second seasons of my making its acquaintance. A . word or two is 

 requisite as regards the appearances under the application of 

 reagents. 



I was surprised, on applying iodine and. sulphuric acid, to find that 

 this curious multilaminated coat, so conspicuous a portion of the make- 

 up of this organism, gave a biilliant indigo Hue colour, accom2:)anied by 

 a great swelling up of the constituent laminfe, the outer of which took 

 somewhat of a violet colour. (PI. 15, fig. 6.) In other words, this 

 coat gave iu a marked manner the cellulose reaction. At same time 

 the inner basic substance acquired a pale, homogeneous, somewhat ver- 

 digris green hue, and the granules, a brassy or yellowish colour, and 

 shiny appearance, and became simiiltaneously of cj^uite -a spherical 

 figure, and rather small and regTilar size, each with a dark contour. 



EoUed in caustic potash, a great swel lin g up and separation of the 

 outer laminae of the coat took place ; to some extent, the same in cold 

 potash ; the basic substance assumed a yellowish, sometimes faintly 

 greenish, hue, and the granules became perfectly globular, more varied 

 in size than under the iodine and sulphuric acid, but Cj^uite oily and 

 shiny in appearance, and of a greenish-yellow colotu-. (PL 15, 

 fig. 5.) _ 



In Beale's carmine solution no very marked change ensued, and, as 

 before mentioned, no portion showed itself anywhere as a nucleus, nor 

 did any portion take indeed any extra dye. 



Alcohol deprived the red granules of their colour, and changed the 

 whole contents to a somewhat greenish-yellow. 



Such were the results of reagents on this curious organism, as it 

 presented itself, the fixst and second season of my meeting with it. 

 Since then, much to my vexation, I have failed to encounter, except 

 very rarely, examples displaying the active condition described ; but 

 it always now presents itself closely wrapped up in its coat, and 

 densely filled with a preponderance of 7'e(l granides. In that condition 

 it is prone to occur, in considerable quantities, on the submerged sm-face 

 of aquatic plants in the pools which it affects. The veiy fii'st 

 examples I met with were free at the bottom of the pool ; and I there- 

 fore tried to examine this, to me, new phase more closely. 



The fii'st plant on which I noticed this was Sphagnum, but I soon 

 found that this was only because other acjuatics were more scarce in 

 the pool; for the submerged leaves of sedges, of Eriophorum, &c., and 



E. I. A. PROC, SEE. II., VOL. II., SCIEXCE. X 



