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Show 412 UTRICULAHIA NEGLECTA. CHAP. XVII. in a decayed state. In these six bladders, a large nu1nber of the quadri:fid processes contained transparent, often yellowish, more or less confluent, spherical or irregularly shaped, masses of matter. Some of the processes, however, contained only fine granular matter, the particles of which were so small that they could not be defined clearly with No. 8 of I-Iartnack. The delicate layer of protoplasm lining their walls was in some cases a little shrunk. On three occasions ·the above sinall masses of matter were observed and sketched at short intervals of tin1e; and they certainly changed their positions relatively to each other ancl to the walls of the arms. Separate masses sometimes became eonfluent, and then again divided. A single little 1nass would send out a projection, which after a time separated itself. Hence there could be no doubt that these masses consisted of protoplasm. Bearing in mind that many clean bladders were exan1ined with equal care, and that these presented no such appearance, we may confidently believe that the protoplasm in the above cases had been generated by the absorption of nitrogenous matter from the decaying animals. In two or three other bladders, which at' first appeared quite clean, on careful search a few processes were found, with their outsides clogged with a little brown matter, showing that some minute animal had been captured and had decayed, and the arms here included a very few more or less spherical and aggregated 1nasses ; the processes in other parts of the bladders being empty and transparent. On the other hand, it must be stated that in three bladders containing dead crustaceans, the processes were likewise empty. This fact may be accounted for by the animals not having been sufficiently decayed, or by time enough not having been allowed for the generation of proto· CHAP. XVII. ABSORPTION BY THE QUADRIFIDS. 413 plasm, or by its subsequent absor )t. to other parts of the pl t I l.Ion and transference h . an . t Will hereaft b t at 1n three or four oth er s. peci.e s of Ut · er e seen 1 · ~uadrifid processes in contact with r.Ieu an~ the hkewise contained ag()'reg·at d decaying animals 0 th Ab . b e masses of protoplasm n . e sorpt~on of certain Fluids b the : and Bifid Processes .- The se expen.m enYts we Qut a.d rdi fid ascertain whether certain fi u. d h. h re ne to £ th 1 s, w Ic seemed ada t d or e purpose, would produce th p e the processes as the absorption ~ ~ame effect~ on matter. Such ex.periments are o :cayed animal for it is not ffi · · ' howevei, troublesome· . . su cient merely to place a bran h . ' the fluid, as the valve shuts so closely that th c fi ~n ap_rarently does not enter soon if at all E e md bnstles were pushed into the ' on'f i ces .t heyv en w. he·n several cases wrapped so clo I . 'a wei e In fi 'bl 1 se Y Ioun by the thi exi e ec ge of the valve that the fluid n rently excluded '. so that the expen.m ents t .w· ads · appa- 1 . manner are doubtful and not worth givino· neT~n bt IS plan would have been to b • e est I did not think of this till fo~nl:~:ree;:e ;.lad~ers, but eas. es. In all such trials' ho wever,' I' t ceapn nInogt bIne a few tained positively that the bladder th h ascer-doe t · ' oug translucent f ds no contain some minute animal in the last sta()'' o ecay. Therefore most of my . oe made b tt' b expenments were . y cu Ing ladders longitudinally into two . th quadnfids were examined with N 8 ' e then' irrigated whilst under th o. . of Hartnack, ' e covenng 1 · h a few drops of the fi ·a d . g afs, Wit ch b . tn_ un er tnal, kept in a dam ti~: w~:h :~d re-exammed after stated intervals !t e same power as before. Four bladders were first tried the manner just described i as a. control experiment, in arabic to 218 of water d t n a solutiOn .of one part of gum part of sugar to 437, ~;n t w~ bladd.ers I:C: a solution of one wa er' and In nmtber case was any |