SMALL MASSES OF ZOOGLCEA 197 



of rye grass (Lolium) ; and again in C from another infusion of the 

 same grass which was made more than twelve months later.' In 

 D similar corpuscles, taken from a peUicle on a carrot infusion on 

 the third day, are developing mycelial filaments. 



It not unfrequently happens that the units which originate in 

 this way become, as they develop, more refractive, as shown in 

 C and D. More frequently, however, they may notably change 

 in colour — becoming brown, or even brownish-black, as they 

 mature. This latter change is seen in Fig. ii, E and F. 



Of course, all that has been said in this chapter is very contrary 

 to generally accepted beliefs ; but if others would only investigate 

 the subject with care, as I have done, there can be little doubt 

 but that my results would speedily be confirmed. When will the 

 bacteriologists tell us what they know about Zooglcea — whether 

 they are, or are not, aware of its developmental tendencies, and 

 why it should undergo processes of minute segmentation, unless 

 such processes are a result of an organising tendency destined to 

 have some definite outcome ? How can the production of Monads 

 and AmcebcB from its colourless segments be explained other than I 

 have done ? Why, again, should it, or its segments, so often tend to 

 assume a brown colour, while it is still nothing but Zoogloea, either 

 segmented or unsegmented ? Again, why, if the brown Zoogloea 

 does not yield the brown Fungus-germs, should there be this 

 constant association of myriads of brown Fungus-germs (in the 

 absence of hyphas) in association with brown masses of Zoogloea ? 

 How can they explain, other than I have done, the actual organisa- 

 tion of a Zoogloea mass and the stages by which the brown Fungus- 

 germs seem to be formed therein, such as are shown in Figs. 12, 

 13 and 14 ? What process of "infection," in a filtered hay-infusion 

 contained in a closed pot, could cause thousands of small Zooglcea 

 masses to go simultaneously through similar processes of this kind 

 — producing myriads of brown Fungus-germs — when not a single 

 hypha is anywhere to be found, and where, at first, no Fungus- 

 germs are to be met with outside the Zoogloea masses them- 

 selves ? 



This production of different kinds of living organisms, by the 

 fusion and differentiation of aggregates of simpler living units, 

 is something altogether unique, and hitherto unknown to biological 



• The grass in the interval having been kept in a small cardboard box. 



