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oblong in shape, narrower, and with remarkably straight parallel 

 edges, is fitted over the line between these, just as one roof- 

 shingle covers the crack between the two below it. The acute 

 tip of this is hooked downward and fits accurately into a notch 

 between the two broader scales beneath. A short, slender, tri- 

 angular-lanceolate scale covers the line between the two halves 

 of the *'pan" on the under side, and a corresponding but seem- 

 ingly superfluous one above partly covers the base of the hook- 

 tipped upper scale. Finally, the germ, for which all this complex 

 arrangement of bracts and scales exists, is concealed within the 

 base of the '* pan," and consists of a minute axial protuberance, 

 bearing four rudimentary lanceolate leaves, extremely small and 

 yet visible to the naked eye upon careful dissection. 



As to size, the stipe, the large anterior bract, aud the bulblet 

 Itself are subequal in length, a scant quarter of an inch or somewhat 

 less. The structure is entirely glabrous and of a uniform green 

 color, not unlike that of the ordinary foliage of the plant. 



Here, then, we have a stipe, six bracts, five scales and a germ 

 m all thirteen separate elements, completely differentiated, 

 regularly combined and adapted to each other in the most sys- 

 tematic fashion. Six of these elements are in consimilar pairs; 

 the other seven are unique, thus making ten distinct individual 

 forms, or eleven if the stem and leaf components of the germ are 

 reckoned as separate. The vocabulary of botany affords, appar- 

 ently, no better name than "bulblet" for this complicated struc- 

 ture, but a brief consideration of it must enlarge materially our 



notion of what this modest term may signify. Perhaps no more 

 curious mimicry of a flower has ever been recorded among the 

 heterophyta. 



VVhen mature these curious ''pans" separate readily from the 

 stipe, and in the specimens collected a majority of them had 

 already fallen. The stipes persist, however, with all their bracts, 

 snd those of previous years were readily detected down the stem, 

 I'egularly accompanied by the equally persistent empty sporangia 

 c>f the corresponding season. Unfortunately the bulblets were 

 not noticed in the field, and I missed thereby the chance of de- 

 tecting new plants springing from those that had fallen. Whether 

 they take root at once or he dormant till spring is still a matter 

 of conjecture, E. E. STERNS. 



