324 PROF. F. О. BOWER ON APOSPORY AND ALLIED PHENOMENA. 
cannot strictly be regarded as ova, or representatives of the oophore. Nevertheless the 
production of ova, directly or indirectly, from cells of the sporophore is also to be 
regarded as a possibility, and it will be well that those who investigate cases of Poly- 
embryony and apparent cases of Parthenogenesis in the future should bear such 
possibilities in mind. 
Another interesting question is this, How are we to regard those sporophorie buds 
which arise as substitutionary growths in connection with arrested sporangia ? Goebel, 
in describing his examples of Jsoétes in which the sporangia were replaced by sporo- 
phorie buds, writes as follows (1. с. p. 5):—* Here there is obviously a case which 
belongs to the series of phenomena recently styled Fig. 2. 
by De Bary as ‘ Apogamy, or loss of sexual function.’ ISOETES 
Only in the case above described the sexual organs Spor ophore 
are not arrested or lost, but the whole sexual genera- 
tion.” Sucha view might be expressed graphically by ) 
the annexed diagram, fig.2. Does this interpretation Sporangia 
apply for the cases of sporophoric budding described | Фора?“ Zyaote 
above in the plumose Anthyria, &c.? It has already дидаї 13 
been pointed out that these cases of sporophoric bud- Spores l 
ding graduate almost imperceptibly into those which А. Зе 
arise quite apart from the sori, as in various Asplenia, 
and it would be difficult to apply the same explanation 
to these. For such difficulties, any one who is con- Üophore 
versant with morphological treatment will be pre- ee = 
pared, and no great exception can be taken to the application of Goebel’s view to those 
cases where sporophoric budding is really associated with sporal arrest, while those of 
mere formation of buds at points remote from the sori will fall naturally under the head 
of vegetative reproduction of the sporophore; these might be represented graphically as 
in diagram 2 of my former paper (2. с. р. 364), as a subsidiary circle or eddy, outside the 
main cycle of life. The distinction is admitted to be an artificial one, but so are many 
which are drawn by morphologists. ' 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. 
Рглте ГУП. 
Athyrium Filix-femina, var. clarissima. 
| Fig. 1. Section through a sorus, showing the condition of the sporangia in August; the archespore is 
already arrested in the oldest sporangium. (х 175) ind=indusium. 
Fig. 2. л-р, various types of development of sporangia, from material taken in August. The shading 
indicates the extent of the brown colouring which often follows arrest ; the archespore may 
be seen in each case. (х 175) 
