The Scottish Naturalist. 153 



life are stages in the life history of higher plants, and while quite 

 prepared to accept this view, on sufficient evidence being adduced in 

 its favour, still, in the course of my own investigations, extending 

 over a good many years, I have met with nothing whatever to induce 

 me to adopt this theory nothing even pointing in that direction ; so 

 that, while very willing to be convinced of its truth, my evidence, so 

 far, is entirely negative. 



The next group on which I would remark is the Vohocinece. The 

 point I wish to notice is this : that Kirchner and others claim this 

 beautiful and most interesting group of organisms as belonging to the 

 animal kingdom ! I have seen no evidence sufficiently strong to 

 justify the proposed change. Indeed the evidence appears to me to 

 point all the other way. A very good account of the development of 

 Yolvox, drawn up by Mr. Wills, Birmingham, will be found in Cooke's 

 Fresh Water Algce ; of Stephanosjihcera pluvialis, by Mr. Archer, 

 F.R.S., Dublin, in the Proceedings of the Dublin Microscopical Club ; 

 and of SpftiB&rella nivalis (the Red Snow plant of Arctic voyagers) by 

 Dr. Wittrock of the University of Upsala, in Nordenskiold's account 

 of his visit to Greenland. I think we have all the members of this 

 group of plants in our division of Scotland, with one remarkable ex- 

 ception, viz., Stephanosphczra phcvialis, which, as far as I am aware, 

 has never been found in these islands, except in one little rock-pool 

 on Bray Head, near Dublin ; where I had the pleasure of gathering 

 it last year in company with the discoverer, my valued friend Mr. 

 Archer. The Red Snow plant, so abundant in many parts of the 

 Arctic Regions, in West Greenland, for instance, where the snow for 

 miles, was designated "The Crimson Cliffs," is exceedingly rare and 

 local in this country. It has been found on Ben Muich Dhu, and 

 was gathered two years ago on Ben Nevis, by Dr. Nordstedt. If 

 there are any old enough snow-wreaths about the back of Ben 

 Lawers they should be examined for it. Volvox globator occurs on 

 Durdie Moor, near Perth. We have both it and V. minor in the 

 north ; and also both species of Gonium, though one of them 

 (6r. sociale) has been found in one pool only. 



Passing on to the Conjugate, an interesting question has been 

 raised as to sexuality. Do certain filaments represent males, and 

 certain others, females ? If so, are there any certain marks by which 

 they may be distinguished ? These questions have often been raised, 

 but are not easily answered. Mr. A. W. Bennett, in a recent paper, 

 maintains the possibility of distinguishing the sexes in the Zygnemece. 

 The points he relies on are these four : 1. The difference in the 

 size of the cell ; in the Zygnemece, the supposed germ-cells being the 



