sympathetically-minded naturalist, that of the large number of
subsequent writers on ameboid movement only one (Penard, ’02, p. 63)
seems to have noticed these folds. Leidy says that “ ... the main trunk
and larger pseudopods of the same ameba (_proteus_) assumed more or less
the appearance of being longitudinally folded. The endosarc axially
flowed as if in the interior of thick walled canals, of which the walls
appeared to be composed of finer granular matter with scattered imbedded
crystals. In the flow, all the contents did not move with the same
rapidity, and usually the smaller particles were swept quickly by the
larger ones. Other matter, including some of the largest elements
appeared to stick to the inner surface of the extemporaneous tubes, but
successively became detached to be carried along with the rest of the
contents (p. 46).” “The endosarc appeared to flow within thick walls of
ectosarc which often seemed to be longitudinally folded (p. 326).”
Penard (’02) confirms Leidy’s observation as to the existence of these
folds: “The current (of endoplasm) indeed is not unified, but there
exist many currents at the same time because of the fact that the
endosarc is divided into a certain number of longitudinal canals or
grooves by dense walls, which are of a temporary nature, being broken
down and built up from time to time. It is easy to distinguish one canal
from the other in this species, the currents being at first more or less
parallel, but terminating at the forward end, by their coalescence, as a
single mass of liquid (p. 63).” But Penard questions Leidy’s conclusion
that the walls are of ectoplasm: “Moreover Leidy deceives himself
without any doubt in considering these partitions as folds of the
_ectosarc_. The latter, in the rhizopods, is not a special substance, it
is a plasma of surface, specialized for the functions which it has to
perform, capable of modification as to its intimate structure, but only
so temporarily (p. 63).”
Although it is a very simple matter to prove to one’s satisfaction the
mere existence of these folds--a few minutes’ observation under the high
power of the microscope will do that--it is a much more difficult matter
to observe how these folds originate, because of the incessant changes
going on, as recorded by Leidy.
Very young or small pseudopods in _proteus_ have the same general
appearance as the pseudopods of other large species (_dubia_,
_laureata_, _discoides_, _annulata_, etc.); that is, there is a central
axial stream of endoplasm surrounded by a layer of ectoplasm. But there
is one difference even here, and that is the greater thickness of the
ectoplasmic walls in _proteus_ in proportion to the diameter of the
pseudopod. The ectoplasmic tube however is not solid throughout, but is
more or less honeycombed, somewhat like a network, with the spaces
filled by endoplasm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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