Olive—Cytologiml Studies on Ceratiomyxa. 755 
set polygonal pieces. Viewed sidewise, they are at first much 
flattened, with a level outer surface. Soon, however, each uni- 
nucleated protoplast, now independent in its further move¬ 
ment, arches' outward, becomes cylindrical, and finally is dif¬ 
ferentiated into a constricted stalk portion and a spherical 
swollen end. At first, the stalk as well as the spherical end is 
filled with protoplasm; but later, all the protoplasm appears to 
move out into the rounded end, leaving the stalk as a slender, 
apparently empty filament, two to five times as long as the 
spore. The end portion, which is destined to become the spore, 
finally cuts itself off sharply from the stalk, and changes from 
a globular to an oval form. 
According to Famintzin and Woronin, the development of 
Ceratiomyxa takes place at definite times of the day and night. 
They state that the plasmodium first appears on the surface at 
about three o’clock in the morning. From that time on 
it grows rapidly, and by evening of the same day the fructifi¬ 
cation reaches its full size. The formation of the superficial 
plasma-zone w T as observed about eight or nine o’clock p. m.; 
the cutting up into segments about midnight; the first begin¬ 
ning of the formation of the spore-bearing structures about one 
to 1:30 o’clock a. m. In the early morning hours, they noted 
mature spores. Thus only about 24 to 26 hours are required 
for the complete formation of the fructification. 
Their account of the germination of the spores of Ceratio¬ 
myxa shows interesting deviations from the usual type of ger¬ 
mination seen in other Myxomycetes. According to these au¬ 
thors, the germination in Ceratiomyxa takes place after the 
spores have stood about thirty hours in water in which a bit 
of dead wood has been soaked. The naked protoplasmic con¬ 
tents of the spore remain for some time in one spot, showing 
slight amoeboid movements. It then proceeds to divide by con¬ 
striction, first into two like parts, then into four, then into eight. 
In about an hour after casting off the spore wall, there are 
thus formed from each spore eight swarm-spores. After swarm¬ 
ing for some time, these lose their cilia and become myxamoe- 
bae. The formation of plasmodia, and the further vegetative de- 
