24 



INVEUTEBKATE AXIMALS. 



CHAPTER II. 

 KHIZOPOKA. 



The next uhiss of the I'rofnzoK wkicli we liave to consider comprises 

 the most eli;iractei'istic :unl typical forms of the whole sub-kingdom. 

 The name of IlldiitpfiJn, or " root- footed " animalcules (from the 

 Greek, rhizit, root; and piuliv, feet), is derived from the fact that 

 they all possess the power of throwing out at will from various parts 

 of the body the ])rocesses of sarcode which have been ah'eady spoken 

 of as pseudopodia, and liy which they both move and obtain food. In 

 fact, the llIiK'ipiida may be shoitly defined as Protozoa whiuh have no 

 •month, ami vli if h. possexx tlif pnVLi- of ijiriii;/ on,t pwiidopodia. The 

 pseudopodia vary a good deal in shape and in other characters ill 



-M..r|.li..l,,i;y i,f M„„,' 

 .'I'll.- saliM ill .-III 



-'■ria : h Vrnlfni 



different orders of the Jlhirjjpoda, but they have invariably the char- 

 acter of being nothing more than temporary threads or finger-like 



