308 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF FUNGI 



Stereum hirsutum had been soaking for several days. In a 

 short time a number of the swarm-cells were seen, attended by 

 bacilli, some of which were attached to their pseudopodia, and 

 some were already enclosed in vacuoles. The swarm-cell in 

 question had taken an amoeboid form, occasionally producing 

 and again withdrawing the cilium, while from time to time 

 thin pseudopodia were extended from the opposite end, but 

 more frequently the posterior region expanded into a 

 somewhat funnel-shaped mouth. Into such an expansion a 

 stout bacillus was seen to enter ; in the course of a few seconds 

 it was enclosed with a noticeable amount of water, by the 

 folding over of the lips of the funnel, and conveyed into the 

 body -substance; a few minutes after, another bacillus was 

 taken in, much in the same manner, but no globule of water 

 was introduced. Ten minutes later a large bacillus was caught 

 by a prolongation of one side of the funnel, and in the course 

 of half a minute a tube-like extension of protoplasmic substance ' 

 invested the bacillus, and it was drawn in. It remained for a 

 short time in direct contact with the granular matter of the 

 body, but was soon surrounded by an oval vacuole. The 

 swarm -cell continued inactive for nearly an hour, when it 

 assumed an extended form, and shortly after swam away with 

 rapid jogging movement. Constant observation was maintained 

 during this hour, and the bacilli were seen gradually to dissolve 

 in the vacuoles in which they lay, until at length all trace of 

 them had disappeared, together with their containing vacuoles, 

 and only the contracting vacuole remained in the homogeneous 

 granular substance of the swarm-cell. 



"Atlthe commencement of the observation this granular 

 protoplasm was much more turbid than at the close, when it 

 was remarkably hyaline ; the swarm-cell appeared also to have 

 increased in size, though it was difficult to determine by 

 measurement in consequence of its changing form. No re- 

 jection of refuse matter took place while the observation lasted. 



" In the same preparation I watched a swarm-cell creeping 

 in a straight line, with the strange snail-like movement so 

 difficult to understand. In its course it came to a small group 

 of motionless bacilli lying against the glass ; immediately it 

 changed its linear form and spread itself out, covering four of 



