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Wingate, of Philadelphia, sent along with other Myxogastres,
a specimen with the following comment—
“ No. 25. Is the teratological result of an amour between
the plasmodium of Areyria punicea and that of Arcyria cmerea.
I t gives a point as to the absolute autonomy of plasmodia.”
In reply to further inquiry respecting the supposed hybrid,
Mr. Wingate writes, “ The Arcyria hybrid is not doubtful.
Two patches of Arcyria, punicea and cinerea, grew on the same
log, side by side; where the two came together the plasmodia
fused and produced the result I sent.” The specimen is
extremely interesting, different individuals varying to a considerable
extent in the relative resemblance to one or other
of the parent forms. For the production of a hybrid, it is
assumed that conjugation—or its physiological equivalent—■
had taken place between the cells of the two parent forms.
The significance of the possibility of hybrid forms occurring in
nature may eventually qualify to some extent present ideas as
to “ species.”
Zopf’ has-recently investigated the Myxogastres, more especially
from the biological side, but so far as I can ascertain, does
not express himself definitely as to their animal or vegetable
nature.
Mr. Saville Kent ® espoused De Bary’s view as to the animal
nature of the Myxogastres, and suggested their affinity with the
sponges. The two principal reasons given as favouring their
exclusion from the vegetable kingdom are—(1) first product of
spore germination, bodies capable of spontaneous movement;
(2) presence of crystals of lime in substance of cell-walls. The
first objection proves nothing at all, and the second, if anything,
how little Mr. Kent knew about plant morphology.
Dr. E. Hesse has recently announced ® that the members of
’ Die Pilzthiero oder Sclileimpilze. Schenck’a liaudh . der Bot., vol. iii.
2 A Manned of the Infusoria.
2 Bot. Centralbl, xxxviii. (1889), pp. 518-20, 553-7.
r
the Tuberaceax and the Elaphomycetac originate as masses of
swarm-cells, which after passing through various phases, assume
the well-known asoigerous form, and that these groups, if kept
in the fungi at all, must be placed with the hlycetozoa. He
further considers that the typical members of the Hymenogastreae
and the Lyeoperdeaceae present similar characteristics in the
earliest condition. I f corroborated, the above statement will
show how imperfect and superficial has been all previous work
on these groups.
The following remarks by Mr. A. Lister are considered by the
author as favouring the animal nature of the Myxogastres; but
as usual, the evidence is afforded entirely by the vegetative
phase, and consequently still much in touch with their aquatic,
progenitors, the Flagellatae, whereas the individuality of the
Myxogastres, as it appears to me, is to he found in the reproductive
phase, and further, the individuality is obviously due
in main to the change from an aquatic to an aerial habitat.
In all probability the sexual method by conjugation was the
one followed by the aquatic primitive forms, and if so, we find
an agreement more or less pronounced with the ferns, where
the prothallus, the sexual organ of reproduction, is structurally
in touch with the aquatic forms from which this group is
supposed to have evolved, whereas the truly aerial spore-producing
form is the portion that gives most individuality to the
ferns.
“At a meeting of the Linnean Society in April 1889, I
described the mode of feeding wliich I had observed in the
swarm-cells of Stemonitis fusca. I have since been able to
watch the same process in the swarm-cells of several other
species. Those of Pericliaena cortiealis afforded an interesting
instance, because of the great activity of the bacilli which
abounded in the preparation, and as showing the voracity of a
few individual swarm-cells. One was noticed which already
contained four vacuoles stuffed with bacilli, probably six to
eight in each. I t was observed to throw out several long
pseudopodia from the posterior region, to which active bacilli
became attached. In the course of twelve minutes four were
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