THE ANTHEROZOIDS IN ASTERELLA CALIFORNICA 379 
tinctly beneficial in so doing. It isa protection, besides, in keep- 
ing the antherozoids from drying and stiffening, as such minute 
bodies would surely do unless enclosed in a matrix which holds 
water more effectively than protoplasm. That there is always 
slime about the antherozoids till they fall on a wet surface is 
shown by my dry slides. That the slime dissolves, thus liber- 
ating the antherozoids, which thereupon swim away, is shown by 
my wet slide out of doors. 
Antherozoids on the slide, whether singly or in patches, may 
be fixed and stained by the methods applied to staining cover- 
glass preparations of bacteria. I tried several methods, of which 
Fischer's * for staining cilia was the most successful. Of course, 
this method is not recommended for the cytological study of the 
antherozoids. I recommend it only for the purpose of demon- 
Fic. 1. A tracing of spots formed on slide by discharge of antherozoids from 
antheridia 14 cm. below. 
Fic. 2. A very small spot, showing ciliated antherozoids and slime in which they 
are imbedded, & 755. Leitz drawing-prism. 
Fic. 3.. Sketch of male plant of Astered/a Californica, showing cushion (a) in 
which antheridia develop, < 3. 
strating perfect antherozoids, ciliated and enclosed in thin slime, 
which have been caught on slides. 
We come back now to the mechanics of expulsion. The dis- 
charges which I have seen take place or have caught on the slides, 
have occurred only when the soil and the plants were full of water. 
Not only the tissues of the antheridia, but the surrounding vege- 
tative tissues were turgid. Given an abundant supply of water in 
* Jahrb. wiss. Bot. 27: 82. 1895. 
