﻿OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA. 65 



from the primitive mother cell, and which, after desiccation, are also capable of repro- 

 ducing all the above described series of phenomena ; on which account they must be 

 considered as identical in functions and nature. 



In the last named form of Chlamidococcus, in which none of the cells are motive, 

 the wide, outer membrane, which in the normal type envelopes each gonidia, is 

 also secreted, but the divers cells being very close to one another, the consequence is 

 that this gelatinous matter finally forms an apparently continuous amorphous crust 

 of a pale yellowish color, in which the successive generations of cells are immersed. 

 Chlamidococcus is now indistinguishable, by a cursory examination, from the genus 

 Pleurococcus, Fig. 24. Braun, who has noticed these two modes of growth, noticed 

 also that in the last described form, the production of 4, 8, 16, 32, &c, microgonidia 

 took place occasionally just as described in the more perfect form of Chlamidococcus, 

 but these microgonidia are globular and unappendaged, Fig. 29. I believe that in 

 both cases the production of microgonidia must be attributed to quite accidental 

 causes, such as a diseased state of the producing cell, a peculiar tenacity of its outer 

 membranes, or an over-excited formative power brought on by unknown causes. If 

 this were not the case these microgonidia would not die away without producing fur- 

 ther generations or acquiring the ultimate dimensions of macrogonidia, which they 

 are never known to do. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



The curious vegetation of Chlamidococcus above described may be understood in 

 two different ways : 



1. We may imagine every cell, (be it primitive mother cell or motive gonidia) as a 

 spore, or complete individual plant, and admit that as in the lower classes of animals 

 we have here " alternations of generations." By changing the word animal into the 

 word plant, Steenstrup's description of this singular fact would read as follows : 



" Alternation of generations, or the remarkable phenomenon of a plant producing 

 offspring, which at no time resembles its parent, but which, on the other hand, brings 

 forth a progeny, which returns in its form and nature to the parent, so that the maternal 

 plant does not meet with its resemblance in its own brood, but in the descendants of the 

 second, third, fourth or ( . . . nth) degree of generation ; and this always takes 

 place in the different plants which exhibit the phenomenon, in a determinate genera- 

 tion, or with the intervention of a determinate number of generations, &c." (See J. 

 J. Steenstrup, Altera, of Gener., translated by George Busk, 1845, Ray Society.) 



Now, in Chlamidococcus, we may suppose we have a primitive plant (first red, fixed 

 cell) producing an offspring (motive gonidia) which at no time resembles the parent, but 

 brings forth a pi-ogeny which returns (after several generations) in its form and nature, 

 to the parent cell, so that the maternal Chlamidococcus does not meet its resemblance in 



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