During the summer of 1854, the late Rev. Lord Sidney Godolphin Osborne and myself became much interested in the remarkable family of Closteria. [Fig. 292] is a highly magnified view of Closterium lunula which I drew by the aid of the camera-lucida at the time. There could be no doubt about the ciliary action within the frond: it was in every way similar to that of the branchiæ of the muscle, the same wavy motion, which gradually became slower as the death of the desmid drew near. This was brought about earlier when the cell was not kept supplied with fresh water.
Fig. 292.—Closterium lunula.
In diagram A, line b points to a cluster of ovoid bodies; these are seen at intervals throughout the endochrome within the investing membrane. These bodies are attached to the membrane by small pedicles, and are occasionally seen in motion about the spot, from which they eventually break away, and are carried off, by the circulating fluid, to the chambers at the extremities of the frond; there they join a crowd of similar bodies, in constant motion within the chambers, when the specimen is quite fresh. That the action of these free granules or spores is “Brownian,” as surmised by some writers, is in my opinion entirely fallacious. It is doubtless in a measure due to the current brought about by the ciliary motion of the more fluid contents of the cell.
The circulation, when made out over the centre of the frond, for instance at a, is in appearance of a wholly different nature from that seen at the edges. In the latter the matter circulated is that of granules, passing each other in distinct lines, but in opposite directions; in the circulation as seen at a, the streams are broad, tortuous, of far greater body, and passing with much less rapidity. To see the centre circulation, use a Gillett’s illuminator and a 1⁄8th or a 1⁄10th immersion; work the fine adjustment so as to bring the centre of the frond into focus, then almost lose it by raising the objective; after this, with great care, work the milled head until the darker body of the endochrome is clearly brought out.
At B is an enlarged sketch of one extremity of the frond. The arrows within the chamber pointing to b denote the direction of a strong current of fluid, which can be occasionally followed throughout. It is acted upon by cilia at the edges of the chamber, the greater impetus appearing to come from the centre of the endochrome. The fluid is here acting in positive jets, that is, with an almost arterial action; and according to the strength with which it is propelled at the time, the loose floating bodies are sent to a greater or less distance from the end of the frustule; the fluid is thus impelled from a centre, and kept in activity by the lateral cilia, that create a rapid current and give a turning motion to the free bodies. The line—a, in this diagram, denotes the outline of the membrane which encloses the endochrome; on both sides cilia can be seen. The circulation exterior to it passes and repasses in opposite directions, in three or four distinct courses; these, when they arrive at—c, seem to encounter a stream making its way towards an aperture at the apex of the chamber; then they appear to be driven back again by a stronger force. Some, however, do occasionally enter the chamber, but very rarely will one of the bodies escape into the outer current, and should it do so, is carried about until it becomes adherent to the side wall of the frond.
With regard to the propagation of the C. lunula, I have never seen anything like conjugation; but I have repeatedly seen self-division (shown at D a a). This act is chiefly the work of one half of the frond. Having watched for some time, one half is seen to remain passive, while the other has a lateral motion from side to side, as if moving on an axis at the point of juncture; the motion increases, is more active, until at last with a jerk one segment separates itself from the other, as seen at E. It will be noticed that each end of the segment is perfectly closed before separation finally takes place; there is, however, only one perfect chamber, that belonging to the extremity of the original entire frond. The circulation continues for some time previous to and after subdivision, in both fronds, and by almost imperceptible degrees increases in volume. From the end of the endochrome symptoms of elongation of the frond take place, the semi-lunar form gradually changes, elongates, and is more defined, until it takes the form and outline of the fully-formed frustule at the extremity. The obtuse end—b of the other portion of frond is at the same time elongating and contracting, and in a few hours from the division of the one segment from the other the appearance of each half is that of a nearly perfect frustule, the chamber at the new end is complete, the globular circulation exterior to it becomes affected by the circulation from within the said chamber, and, shortly afterwards, some of the free bodies descend, and become exposed to the current already going on in the chamber. E is a diagram of one end of a C. didymotocum, in which the same process was well marked, and completed while it was under observation.
It will appear to most observers that if the continuation of the widely-spread family of Desmidiaceæ was wholly dependent upon conjugation and subdivision of their frustules, a process requiring several hours for its completion, the whole species must have long ago disappeared. It may be presumed then that some other mode of reproduction must prevail. In the fresh-water algæ the two more general methods of multiplication are clearly governed by the conditions of the seasons; the resting-spores securing continuity of life during the winter, the swarm-spores spreading the plant profusely during the warmer portion of the year, when rapid growth is possible. I therefore regard the actively swarming bodies seen in continuous motion at the two extreme portions of the frustule of Closterium lunula as being either oospores or zoospores, by means of which reproduction takes place.
Diatomaceæ, commonly called brittleworts, [Plate XI]., are chiefly composed of two symmetrical valves, narrow and wand-like, navicular, miniature boat-shaped, hence their name Navicula (little ship). Hitherto they have excited the deepest interest among microscopists because of their wonderfully minute structure, and the difficulty involved in determining their exact nature and formation. Each individual diatom has a silicious skeleton, spoken of as a frustule, frond, or cell, having a rectangular or prismatic form, which mostly obtains in the whole family, the angles of the junction of the two united valves being, as a rule, acute, and enclosing a yellowish-brown endochrome. Deeply-notched frustules, like those of the Desmidiaceæ, do not occur, and the production of spines and tubercles so common in that family is rare in the Diatomaceæ. Great variety of outline prevails, so much so that no rule in this respect can be formulated.
The frustules, however, are usually composed of two equal and similar halves, but exceptions to this are found in the Actinomtheæ, Cocconcidæ, and one or two other families. The extremities of some species, e.g., Nitzshia and Pleurosigma, are extremely elongated, forming long, filiform, tubular processes; in Biddulphia and Rizoselenia, short tubular processes from their margins. Great variety of outline may prevail in a genus, so considerable indeed that no accurate definition can be given, the characteristics shading off through several species until the similarity to an assumed typical form is much diminished, which may again be modified by accidental circumstances that surround the development of the silicious frustule. It must not be forgotten that the figure is greatly modified or entirely changed by the position of the valves, whether seen in one position or another, as already explained in connection with “Errors of Interpretation.” Again, in the genera Navicula, Pinnularia ([Plate II]., Nos. 33, 38, and 40), and others, the frustules are in one aspect boat-shaped, but in the other either oblong with truncated ends, or prismatic. In the genus Triceratium ([Plate XI]., No. 10), the difference of figure is very remarkable as the front or side view is examined.