34 
ever, it is distinguished by the short, blunt, and non-confluent 
pseudopods. The more precise description of this Protamceba 
will be given below. 
In the year 1866 Richard Greef observed several Monera 
on the coast at Ostend very similar to my Protogenes primor- 
dialis, and like it of considerable size. He has shown me 
numerous drawings, which show very great variations in 
form, like the plasmodia of Myxomycetce. The particulars 
are not yet published. 
As I spent three months in the winter of 1866-67 at 
Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, to make observations 
on the lower marine animals, my investigations w r ere directed 
towards the Hydromedusce and the true Rhizopoda , and 
especially to the Monera, and my expectations of meeting 
with some were not disappointed. The Protomyxa figured on 
Plate IX, and the Myxastrum represented on Plate X, enrich 
the natural history of these very simple organisms with new 
forms. It is probable that Monera are very widely dis- 
tributed, and it is likely that they constantly arise from 
spontaneous generation. The greatest difficulty in searching 
for them is their first recognition, as most observers are not 
prepared to recognise in the small, formless, thoroughly 
homogeneous slimy atom an independent and fully developed 
organism. May I, therefore, warmly recommend the Monera 
to the special observation of microscopical observers. 
II. — Descriptions of new Monera. 
1. Protomyxa aurantiaca. 
See Plate IX, figs. 1 — 12. 
On many of the Coast-lines of the Canary Islands the 
spirally twisted calcareous shells of Spirula Peronii are 
found thrown up by the sea in large quantities. I found 
them, for example, heaped up in particular abundance on 
the south-east coast of the island Lanzarote on the small flat 
banks of the island, and on the isthmuses which lie before the 
seaport town of Puerto del Arrecife, and partially surround 
the harbour. During my three months’ residence in Arrecife 
I confidently hoped to obtain living specimens of this re- 
markable Cephalopod, or, at least, such as would be fit for 
anatomical examination, as our knowledge of the softer parts 
of its body is extremely incomplete. I offered the fishermen 
of Arrecife a high reward if they would bring me a live or 
