1894,] i Proceedings of Scientific Societies. | 457 
Amongst these specimens are two Oriskany sandstone species, Rens- 
seleria ovalis and Platyceras nodosus, which were detached by Mr. Hol- 
lick from the same bowlder which yielded the Helderberg fossils. 
This places the rock in the upper Lower Helderberg strata, probably 
the Upper Pentamerus beds, and exhibits the faunal emergence of the 
life of the Oriskany Ocean. This find illustrates still further, if illus- 
tration was necessary, the paleontological importance of our drift 
material and provides additional incentives to further investigation. 
Mr. Thomas Craig exhibited a living myxomycete under the micro- 
scope and read the following paper : 
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF A MYXOMYCETE. 
In Bennett and Murray’s book on Cryptogamie Botany mention is 
made of this form of life as the sixth sub-division. It is placed between 
the fungi and the protophyta; but at the end of their description they 
say: “We are justified in placing these organisms outside the limits 
of the vegetable kingdom.” 
Dallinger, in his edition of Carpenter on the Microscope, places 
them in the animal kingdom, in close affinity with the rhizopods. 
Saville Kent, after prolonged investigation placed them in the animal 
kingdom. All these writers follow DeBary, who in 1859 first pub- 
lished the result of his researches, and his conclusions that they were 
ore nearly allied to animals than plants. DeBary’s conclusions 
were fully confirmed by Saville Kent, who traces the development as 
follows: Suppose the existence of a sporangium ; this bursts and lib- 
-€rates the spores which in presence of water give birth to a globular 
protoplasmic body, which becomes after a time a flagellate infusorian, 
capable of ingesting solid food. It then loses its flagelle and becomes 
an Ameba. Two of these conjugate and attract a number of other 
like bodies, or become joined to them in some way not understood. 
These form what is known as a plasmodium, a portion of which I 
exhibit under the microscope. This plasmodium is capable of sppr 
ently voluntary motion. It goes forward and retreats by a flowing 
motion, carrying embedded in its substance various species of algae 
Which it has captured as food. There is a remarkable resemblance in 
the mode of movement between the myxomycetes and the proteomyxa. 
The same flowing motion of the protoplasm and the joining of the fila- 
ments to form larger ones. 
he reason for the foregoing prelude is 
February I have been watching one of the myxomyce 
developed in some water taken from the Old Town po 
that during the month of 
tes—which has 
nd—into what 
