] SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



holdfast, are not easy to distinguish. R. Caspary* showed how the 

 Bterile plants may he separated by their microscopic structure. The 



pr< sent author has studied and compared the tissues and cells of both 

 plants in all pans of the thallus, and treats his subject under the 

 following headings :— morphology, anatomy of tissue, and anatomy of 

 cells (including cell-wall, chromatophores, starch, nucleus, crystals, 

 v.iruolc-liodies, special nature of cell-contents). He states that the 

 distinctions pointed out by Caspary are complete enough, but can be 

 somewhat supplemented. Pohjides has a regular structure, and shows a 

 gradual transition in its tissues ; its smaller cortical cells are in two 

 to four layers (not four or five) ; and transverse hyplue, which traverse 

 medulla and cortex, occur but solitary-wise. Furcellaria, on the other 

 hand, has a less regular structure, its tissues presenting almost an abrupt 

 transition ; its smaller cortical cells constitute one layer, rarely two 

 layers (not two or three, rarely more, as Caspary stated) ; and transverse 

 hyphaj pass in considerable number through the medulla and large-celled 

 cortex. In cell-structure there is much in common between the two 

 genera. But a distinction is found in the cell-walls : in Polyides the 

 middle lamella is strongly coloured by methylen-blue and ruthenium- 

 red, whereas in Furcellaria the middle lamella remains absolutely 

 colourless. Denys adds a chapter on cicatrization in the two genera, 

 and a final one on endophytes. In Furcellaria he found a brown 

 filamentous endophyte which he refers to Microsyphar, and describes 

 under the name M. Furcellariae, a new species. 



Floridese.f — C. J. Connolly has made a detailed examination of six 

 species of Florideae, collected by Goebel in New Zealand and south-west 

 Australia. His interesting and important results are given in a summary 

 under the headings of the different species. It runs as follows :— 

 Polysiphonia decipiens. 1. Lateral branches arise from the base of the 

 monosiphonous leaves without precise divergence. 2. The female organs 

 arise at the second segment of the leaves. 3. The procarp consists of 

 the following component parts : {a) a 4-celled carpogonial branch ; (b) a 

 1-celled inferior accessory branch ; (c) a 2-celled lateral accessory branch, 

 which all arise out of the pericentral cell. 4. As the result of fertiliza- 

 tion the pericentral cell cuts off a special auxiliary cell above, and the 

 accessory branches divide further. 5. The carpogonium cuts off a cell 

 at its base, which is to be regarded as the conductor of the fused nucleus 

 to the auxiliary cell. Asparayopsis armata. 6. Primary branches arise 

 with a ! -divergence. They all grow out to short branches (Kurztriebe). 

 Secondary branches arise obliquely opposite the primary branches, and 

 grow out to long branches (Langtrieben) or branched Kurztrieben. 7. 

 The arrangement of the lateral branches cannot be explained by 

 Schwendener's contact theory, but must be referred to internal causes. 

 8. An indirect, but no direct plasma connexion exists between the 

 neighbouring cells of the central axis. 9. As regards the laterally 

 situated pores of the central axis, which usually occur on the upper 

 portion of the segment, the nearer they are to the apex the deeper they 



* Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., vi. (1850; chap. ix. 

 t Flora, ciii. (1911) pp. 125-70 (2 pis.). 



