162 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [September 



tendency for both derivatives of the primary spermatogenous cell to 

 function as body cells. 



The material for the present study was secured through the kind- 

 ness of Dr. L. Cockayne of Christchurch, New Zealand, and Miss 

 Inez Frances Stebbens of the Huguenot College at Wellington, 

 Cape Colony, South Africa. To both are due our thanks for their 

 kindness in obtaining the material at no inconsiderable personal 

 inconvenience. Though the collections were necessarily few, yet 

 they include a considerable range of developmental stages in each 

 of the species. The material was fixed in a 5 per cent, solution of 

 commercial formalin in 70 per cent, alcohol. The fixation has proved 

 unexpectedly good, except for stages from the rounding-up of the 

 mother cells to the time when the microspores have a good firm wall 

 and abundant contents. The shrinkage and general distortion within 

 the limits just mentioned have rendered necessary the omission of a 

 number of what appear to be rather interesting and perhaps impor- 

 tant details. Some of these will be mentioned briefly in the general 

 account. It is hoped that other material so killed and fixed as to 

 show details of cytological structure will be in hand within the near 

 future. The preparations have been imbedded in 54 paraffin, cut 

 3-5 /*, and stained in Haidenhain's iron alum hematoxylin stain, 

 alone or counterstained with various aqueous stains such as orange 

 G, Bismarck brown, erythrosin, etc., and with the saffranin gentian- 

 violet combination. Three species have been examined, though 

 not covering exactly the same ground. 



Observations 



The cones of P. totarra Hallii are of a generally oval shape, 

 varying from 3 or 4 to 15 or 2o mm in length, and from 2 to 4 mm in 

 diameter. They are usually in pairs, one being large and one small. 

 The base of the cones is surrounded by several closely appressed, 

 rigid, scalelike bracts. The peduncle is quite short or almost 

 lacking. The cones of P. nivalis are somewhat shorter, not paired, 

 and decidedly slenderer. The cones of the third species (the label 

 of which was lost in transit) are similar in shape to the first ones, but 

 are smaller. In other respects the cones are very similar. P. 

 totarra is one of the tallest of forest trees and P. nivalis a very small 



