Olive—Cytological Studies on Ceratiomyxa. 767 
any rate, from the dense reticulum as it has just appeared on 
the substratum to the full-grown sporophore, the development 
is undoubtedly as stated above. The culmination of this 
gradual attenuation of the protoplasmic network is apparent¬ 
ly reached just before cleavage. As mentioned above, some of 
the strands have now become so thin that they are only one nu¬ 
cleus thick. I believe, in fact, that the majority of the strands 
become thus attenuated. I cannot therefore agree with the con¬ 
ception of Famintzin and Woronin that the network finally 
forms a single, more or less fused film, with minute lacunar 
openings spread in a thin layer of equal thickness over the 
whole surface of the sporophore. The strands rather appear 
to retain to a great extent their individuality, as well as their 
attenuated character, although in some cases they apparently 
become fused with other neighboring strands, or become 
massed in places. 
Cleavage finally sets in, and in a very short time the fine 
protoplasmic meshwork is divided into numberless rounded, 
uninucleated cells. Famintzin and Woronin state that this 
process takes place simultaneously over the whole sporophore. 
While I too believe that cleavage is, in this instance, a very 
rapid process, yet the method of development in some cases 
prevents the acceptance of the idea that the phenomenon is 
simultaneous. The protoplasm does not all appear to reach the 
surface of the sporophore at the same time. Some strands 
may frequently be seen to be elongated and evidently in a con¬ 
dition of movement, near regions which have already under¬ 
gone cleavage, as evidenced by the presence of rounded uni¬ 
nucleated cells. Cleavage in Ceratiomyxa , as in other multi- 
nucleated masses in which the phenomenon has been carefully 
followed, is rather a progressive process, as explained above, al¬ 
though the progressive feature seems to be much less easy to 
demonstrate in Ceratiomyxa than in Fuhgo. 
Cleavage obviously at once increases enormously the surface 
area of the protoplasm. Whereas before we had a finely drawn 
out, anastomosing reticulum, spread out over the surface of the 
cylindrical sporophore, cleavage now cuts up this reticulum 
into numberless uninucleated cells. The question may here 
