SPERMATOZOA IN PLANTS. 
95 
a brown colour on the application of tincture of iodine. The 
animalcules appear subsequently to the nucleus, and remnants 
of the nucleus may sometimes be seen on one side of the cell, 
and on the other side an animalcule. These animalcules are 
at first immovable ; they soon, however, make efforts to libe- 
rate themselves from their prison. They move themselves 
more rapidly in the wa.rm than in cold weather, and in such a 
manner, that their animal nature cannot be doubted. The 
most distinct part of the body is a spirally formed twisted 
fibre, with three to five twinings. Two bristles or feelers 
(tentacules) appear just behind one of the ends of the spines ; 
they possess extraordinary sensibility, and with them the 
animalcule moves continually with great rapidity. They 
are, therefore, not seen as long as the animalcule is alive, but 
only when its movements become slower, or cease altogether. 
They are seen best when some tincture of iodine is put into 
the water, when their movements cease, and they become 
more visible by the brown colouring. This is particularly 
the case, if the water with the tincture is allowed to evapo- 
rate from the vessel which contains the object. The author 
also observed a current of fluid in the sacs which surround the 
fibres. 
Meyen has published an accurate description of the anthers 
of the Cliaracem, and of these animalcules, in the third volume 
of his Physiology. He did not see the two feelers. I was, he 
says, p. 223, at first only able to recognise the existence of 
the long thin end, through the few thicker little points. Two, 
and even three, small points of the kind are frequently seen, 
which change their position with great rapidity. He adds. 
For some time I was of opinion, that the fine end of these 
spermatozoa was ramified, and that the little points were 
to be considered as the thickened end of these branches ; 
but in the spermatozoa, which seemed to die slowly, from 
their movements gradually becoming more slow, I was at 
last able distinctly to observe, that the fibrous end in the 
spermatozoa is as little ramified as in those of the lower 
plants.” Who, then, is in the right ? 
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