404 MR. H. J. VEITCH ON THE 
impregnation takes place. That the pollen-tubes then come into 
contact with the true apex of the ovules is certain, but this was 
Fig. 12. Fig. 13. 
all we could detect. In no case could we find that the tubes 
actually penetrated the ovules; nor could we detect any embryo- 
sac or other differentiation of parts in the ovule itself under the 
low power we were constrained to use, and owing to the mi- 
nuteness of the ovules even at this stage; but our failure to 
discover these parts by no means excludes the supposition of 
their existence, either in the form in which they occur in other 
monocotyledonous plants, or in some modification of that 
form. 
But to return to observed facts. The pollen-tubes push down 
into the ovary in countless numbers, and make their way along 
the placentas and among the protuberances of it that bear the 
groups of ovules in the manner shown in fig. 11. The form of 
the ovule at this stage may be regarded as nearly cylindric, being 
slightly contracted at the apex. It will be noticed that this form 
differs considerably from the elongated spindle-shaped mature 
seed ; and having still some materials left, we were desirous of 
observing one or two intermediate stages of the development of 
the former into the latter; we therefore cut one of the remaining 
capsules about four months after the pollination of the flower, and 
found the supposed impregnated ovules had attained the form 
represented by H in fig. 18. As this showed but a very slow 
development, we waited another month before examining another 
