188 THE PHENOMENON OP 



with twice or thrice repeated umbellate ramification, till 

 at length the cells which form the outermost umbellules, 

 scatter out their germ-cells, which, after a short swarming,* 

 fix themselves again to be developed into ramified stocks 

 of new families. Nageli has described another case of 

 ramification through imperfect birth of germ-cells, in the 

 genus Valonia.-\ I have observed a still more wonderful 

 mode of imperfect birth in Saprolegnia capitulifera.% 

 The formation of the fruit-clubs and germ-cells takes 

 place as in S.ferax, only the formation of the fruit-clubs 

 is never repeated by the elevation of the bottom and 

 growing-through of the fruit-club, but by the formation 

 of opposite, divergent lateral branches, close beneath it. 

 The fruit-club, as it is called, i. e. the cell cut oft' from 

 the remainder of the stem, from the contents of which 

 the germ-cells are produced, finally opens at the apex, 

 and the germ-cells (40 or 50 in number) move actively 

 towards the mouth, in front of which they make a halt, 

 and, crowding up closely together, form a globular capi- 

 tulum. I could not clearly make out what really kept 

 them back here. But the duration of this capitule is 

 very short, for within only a few hours the germ-cells 

 leave this, their first station, shpping out of a mem- 

 branous coat, probably formed during their period of rest, 

 and swarming again for a short time after this skinning. 

 All that remains of the capitules is a collection of empty 

 vesicles, unless a few germ-cells accidentally remain 

 sticking in them, when these immediately begin to 

 germinate, sending out an acute tubular process. 



It scarcely requires to be mentioned, that the phe- 

 nomena of mechanical release from " superannuated" 



* The swarming germ-cells of the last generation appear to possess two 

 cilia. 



t Nageli. ' Algensyst.,' p. 156, t. ii,f 12-14. 



% Kiitzing, ' Spec. Alg.,' p. 160 The observations were made iu August 

 and Seplemoer, 184'7, on specimens from the Till Sea in the Black Forest; 

 which vegetated luxuriantly on decaying pieces of Nuphar pumilum {Speiiiieri- 

 (inum), but which also rapidly attaoiicd themselves upon flies falling into the 

 water. 



