82 
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
of this form. But while it cannot appertain to any of the genera 
Amoeba, Difflugia, Arcella, or other more distantly related types, as 
Pleurophrys, Plagiophrys, &c., it is, perhaps, sufficiently fitly referrible 
to an Amboeban genus lately established by Greeff — I mean Amphizo- 
nella — to find a place legitimately there, at least, temporarily, and 
until further research may possibly show its specialities to demand its 
removal, or show its nature and affinities to be distinct therefrom. 
Having then, from what has preceded, gained a conception of our 
rhizopod and its characteristics, as I have said, the next step is to 
assign it to its generic position — one which, as we have seen, is 
peculiar. However, the ''genus" which it might typify, as I have 
mentioned, I think I find already instituted by Greeff in his Amphizo- 
nella,^' audit will therefore be necessary that I should here endeavour 
to convey a conception of that genus, and of the three forms referred 
to it by Greeff, which I may here mention have all occurred not in 
water, but damp earth. This, indeed, may be the more advantageous, 
as no account of it exists in English works, nor have hitherto, so far 
as I am aware, any of the forms referrible to it have been recorded 
in this country, though I now myself have little doubt but that I 
have seen on one occasion his typical form, Amphizonella violacea, 
though at the time I paid far too little attention to it to note its speci- 
alities, or even as yet to venture definitely to announce its occurrence ; 
but I have little doubt but that proper search must again disclose it. 
Greeff does not give, unfortunately, any diagnostic characters of 
his genus, so that one has to construct, in idea, gleaned from his general 
description, such a type as would include his forms (and mine), and 
exclude other " Amoebina." And this type, briefly expressed, seems 
to be an Amoeban body, plus a hyaline coat, penetrable by the 
pseudopodia, its previous condition recoverable, and strangely resistant 
to the action of some re-agents, and at once succumbing to others, yet 
quite soft and yielding in its natural condition. 
Eut now to recapitulate Greeff 's account of his principal or typical 
form, A. violacea, following his words as closely as may be without 
altogether a full or precisely literal word-for-word translation : — 
Amphizonella violacea (Greeff.) 
" The fally-grown individuals of this form have" (says Greeff) ''a 
diameter about 0-15"''", and are of a more or less globular figure, which 
undergoes little change, even during the mov-ements of the rhizopod. 
This rotund body shows a hyaline outer margin, and an inner mass 
mostly coloured a beautiful violet. At first glance (says the author) 
we might suppose we had before us the ordinary structural condition 
of an Amoeba, that is a particularly dark and coloured granular endo- 
* Greeff, " Ueber einige in der Erde leLende und andere Ehizopoden," in Schultze's 
'* Archivfiir mikroskopische Anatomie." — Bd. ii., p. 323, t. xviii., fig. 12, 13, 14, 15. 
