BY T. WHITELKGGE. 00/ 



longed examination to he certain of its identity. Tts minuteness 

 aiul the fact that it was often so deeply stained that nothing in 

 the way of structure could he seen, rendeiiMl the search extremely 

 difficult. That I have found at least a stage of the female 

 gametophyte, however, T have no douht; and the following ten- 

 tative flescription of its structure' is submitted as being the 

 nearest possible without a resort to sections. 



Tlie spore producing the female gametoph^'te is, as already 

 intimated, narrower, with the ends less rounded than in the male. 

 The spore-contents consist of nuinenms small cells. Usually, one 

 thick- walled body is seen as an outgrowth from the spore, as 

 development proceeds, and a number of irregularly-shaped cells 

 appear, some of which project from the surface: the appearance 

 presented l)eing as if the cells were imbedded in gum. The 

 structure, when complete, is dome-shaped, with at least two 

 small clusters of projecting cells near the summit on opposite 

 sides; these projecting cells I regard as possibly, and even pro- 

 bably, the archegonia. The base presents structural features 

 wldch render the identification of the female gametophyte certain 

 ill all stages. At the point of union with the spore, there is a 

 very distinct ring, consisting of a series of cells which are in- 

 variably stained brown, the colour being much darker than that 

 of the rest of the cells. Similar brown cells sometimes project 

 on other parts of the dome, and produce rhizoids. 



When this dome-like structure is detached from the spore, it 

 is seen to be hollow, with the upper part thick-walled; and, in 

 this thick wall, the aforesaid projecting cells are imbedded. 

 Towards the base, the wall is thinner, and terminates in the 

 ring previously mentioned, which surrounds tlie circular aper- 

 ture leading into the interior. 



After this multicellular structure had been definitely identified, 

 I felt (juite satisfied that it represented at least a stage in the 

 development of the female gametoplwte. Whether it is the 

 young, or tlie mature, structure is a cpiestion that is not likeh' to 

 be answered without a resort to section-cutting, after imbedding 

 the material in a suitable medium. 



