ANTHOCEROS. 



[ 58 ] 



ANTHOPIIORA. 



-A genus of 

 Fig-. 24. 



A beautifully coloured Fungus, varying as 

 to the degree of ramification, scarcely 1-2" 

 thick at the base ; thickened up>vards, as also 

 are the branches ; fibrous and feathery at 

 the summit ; solitary ; from 1-2" to 1" high ; 

 turning blackish when dried. The spores 

 separate very readily when the specimens 

 are placed in water for examination. 



It may, however, be doubted whether 

 even AntlnnaJJammea, Avhich occurs occa- 

 sionally in considerable quantity'- amongst 

 dead leaves in shady woods, is an autono- 

 mous fungus, though it may be difHcidt to 

 point out of what species it may be a state, 

 unless it be related to Thelephora multizo- 

 natd, Berk. 



BiBL. Purton, iii.t.18; Nees and Henry, 

 Syst. d. nize, 1837, t. 6 ; Fries, Siimina 

 Veqet. p. 405. 



ANTHO'CEROS, Mich.- 

 Anthocerotete (Ilepaticfe). 



The forms found in Britain 

 are regarded by Hooker as 

 varieties of one species. B}'- 

 thecontinental botanists they 

 aredividt'd into two : A.punc- 

 tdtus, Avith the frond dotted 

 and divided at the margin ; 

 and A. Iccvis, Avith the frond 

 smooth (fig. 24). 



These plants are found in 

 very moist situations, at the 

 sides of ditches kc, fruiting 

 in spring. The ovate-oblong 

 fronds are from ^ to f of an 

 inch long, lying flat, and 

 often forming round patches, 

 overla]3ping one another, ra- 

 diatiue- from a centre, and . ,, , • 



more or less divided at the Mn{,mif5etl 2dia- 

 margin. The texture is be- metura. 

 tween membranaceous and tlesliy, inclining 

 to the latter; the colour deep green, lighter 

 at the margins. The antheridia and arche- 

 gonia are usually abundant on the same in- 

 dividtinl. The antheridia are spherical, with 

 short stalks, of a yellowish-orange colour, 

 included in cup-shaped, deeply toothed re- 

 ceptacles on the upper face of the fronds. 

 The young archegonia differ from those of 

 any other Ilepaticfe in their structure, since, 

 instead of free, flask-like cases, they are 

 tulnilar cavities running down from the 

 upper face of ihe frond, with an embryonal 

 cell at the bottom, which increases by de- 

 grees into a conical body, and finally emerges 

 on the surfac(>, surrounded by a perichrcte 

 continuous with the epidermis of the frond. 



The conical body by degrees grows up into 

 the narrow pod-like sporange, which attains 

 a length of about 2 inches, and is supported 

 on a short pedicel, 2 to 3 lines high, almost 

 concealed iu the perichfete. The sporange 

 splits down the middle into two valves, 

 which become slightly twisted, and leave 

 in the centre a thread-like column, to which 

 adhere for a time many of the spores and 

 elaters. The spores, — the development of 

 which has been a subject of much study, and 

 is very instructive, — from the long sporange 

 containing specimens of successive!}'- older 

 formation from one extremity to the other, 

 — are of the ordinary character of these 

 tribes, having a reticulated outer coat, 

 nuirked by ridges indicating the mutual pres- 

 sure of the four spores formed iu each parent- 

 cell. The elaters are much simpler than 

 usual, consisting merely of membranous 

 tubes, not very long, but sometimes irregu- 

 larly curved or branched, without any spiral 

 fibre in their interior. Gemmae also occur 

 on the frond oiAnthoccros. 



BiiiL. Dev. ofthe Fruit generally: Ilof- 

 meister, Ilohern. Knjptoyanten, Leipsic, 

 1851 ; Schacht, Entio. cl. Fnicht unrl Spore 

 V. AnfJioceros Icevis, Boi. Zei'. 1850. Spores : 

 Mohl, Lhuwa, 18;]9 ; Vennischte Schrift., 

 Tubingen, 1846 ; Nageli, Veyet. Cells {liay 

 Society), 1840, p. 229; Carrington, Bnt. 

 Hep., 1881 ; Sachs, Bot. 351. 



ANTIIOCEROTE.E.— A tribe of Liver- 

 worts or Ilepaticfe (which see), containing 

 one British genus, Anthoceros. 



ANTHOPHUltA, Latr.— A genus of 

 Insects, of the order Ilymeuoptera, and 

 family Apidfe. 



Cliur. Wings with three complete sub- 

 margi nal cells of equal size ; labial palpi with 

 the third joint afhxed obliquely; maxillary 

 palpi 0-jointed; intermedifite legs of male 

 with long brushes of hair. 



There are two species, A. rctusa and A. 

 Ilmcorfhdita. 



A. rctusa (mason bee) is commonly seen 

 flying about sunny and sandy banks from 

 March to the beginning of June. Its head 

 and tropin are represented in I'l. 3."». fig. 24. 



The (uitonuc [<t) are inserted in the centre 

 of the fiice, not approximating, short, geni- 

 culated, and L')-jointed in the male; basal 

 joint (scapus) very pubescent, second (pedi- 

 cella) globose, third as long as the first, 

 fourtli shorter than any of the following, 

 which are oblong ; they are similar in the 

 female, but a little longer, and 12-jointed. 

 Lahriim (<0 deflexed, convex, with two black 



