224 MISCELLANEOUS EXAMPLES 



recognised life-history of Peranemata or Monads will, in any 

 way, explain such facts, or the appearances represented in the 

 photographs. 



(k) On the Origin and Development of Swarms of 

 Actinophrys from the Chlorophyll Corpuscles within 

 Nitella Cells. 



In the cells of Nitella, dying soon after they have been brought 

 from the ponds, specimens of Actinophrys may often be met 

 with, more or less sparsely distributed, in association with small 

 Amoebae, within the cells of A^. flexilis and N. translucens. The two 

 organisms are commonly of just the same size ; they contain from 

 4-8 chlorophyll corpuscles, one or two only of which may be seen 

 to be reddish-brown in colour while the rest have remained 

 green. Such bodies, with or without rays (Actinophrys or Amoebae), 

 are commonly met with either in association with, or anterior to, the 

 presence of certain small Ciliates, which are also frequently to be 

 found in large numbers within Nitella cells. 



I am not now about to say anything further concerning this mode 

 of appearance of Actinophrys, but rather as to their appearance in 

 an altogether different fashion, and in prodigious numbers, pari passu 

 with the disappearance of the chlorophyll corpuscles of the cell. 



This change has occurred under different conditions, but I will 

 first refer to a set of observations which I have repeated on four 

 occasions with very similar results. 



About thirty bright green, terminal sprigs from a stock of 

 N. opaca, which had been in the house for some weeks, were 

 placed in a covered, glazed metal basin containing equal parts of 

 tap and distilled water. During the remainder of the experiment, 

 the basin and its contents were kept at a temperature of about 

 6o°F. At the end of a week, on removing the cover for a mere 

 momentary inspection, very many of the cells were seen to have 

 become decolourised, and to be of a pale earthy tint. Five days 

 later, almost all the cells had become decolourised in the same way 

 — only one here and there still remaining green. 



Microscopical examination of several of the cells showed them 

 to contain multitudes of Actinophrys, many being absolutely filled 

 with them. In most of the youngest terminal cells (those probably 

 which possessed the highest vitality) there was the production of 

 the ordinary Amoeboid spheres, such as are shown under a low 



