STUDIES AMONGST AMOEBAE. 
227 
dosarc encroaching everywhere on the diaphane, so that a 
granular globular form surrounded by a thin film of diaphane is 
produced. Now this diaphane film plays all sorts of antics before 
settling down into a dense film of investment ; it even pokes 
out long rays (figs. 34, 37), and tries to simulate the Sun Ani- 
malcule. But at last the delicate film becomes motionless and 
acts as a membrane around the globular mass, in which some 
movement may still be seen, and in which the nucleus is occa- 
sionally visible. The duration of this stage evidently depends 
on season, warmth, and the presence of much or little water ; 
and it would appear that its commencement has a great relation 
to the prospective scarcity of food and water. As ponds com- 
mence drying up and algae finish their spore-making, Amoeba 
begins to think about the future, and soon encysts itself. This 
may be artificially brought about in May, June, and July in a little 
aquarium ; and if the water is allowed to get low no active 
Amoebae will be found, but lots of globes (fig. 27 ). 
Although I had watched Amoebae for a considerable time at 
intervals, and had had the same individuals living in a cell for 
days, a long time elapsed before I saw one cast off a pseudo- 
podium which assumed an independent existence. It was one 
of the kind just noticed, and all the food that was within the 
endosarc was a great Pinnularia semi-digested. The Amoeba 
was large, ^th inch, and had evidently reached a critical point 
in its existence, for it was crowded with small granule-globules* 
and the only diaphane which was at all persistent was at the 
large end. Elsewhere the very fluid-looking endosarc appeared 
to have merged into diaphane. The Amoeba rounded off its 
smaller end and then began to move as usual, broad end first, 
protruding diaphane first on one side and then on the other in 
lobose swellings. Suddenly it protruded, from the junction of 
the smaller end with the rest, a blunt pseudopodium which in- 
creased in size until it was two-thirds of the length of the whole* 
and then endosarc streamed into it (fig. 31). My attention 
was drawn to this rather unusual occurrence, and especially 
as a distinct round body got in as well. This was a nucleus ; 
but whether the only one, or whether the original remained 
behind in the larger body hidden, could not be determined. 
All of a sudden the pseudopodium separated close to the body 
(fig. 35), which then altered its- shape generally, and moved off. 
There was an escape of one granule-sphere only, and motion 
ceased in the cast-off member, which looked dead and flat. 
Presently the original free end of the piece began to move and 
project diaphane on either side, and a slight streaming of the 
granules and nucleus occurred in that direction. Then the rup- 
tured end contracted, and two processes started from it, resolving 
themselves in a few seconds into a rounded small end (figs. 33* 
