VII THE BRYINE^E 191 



varies in the arrangement of the cells in different individuals in 

 the same inflorescence. 



If ripe antheridia are placed in water, they open within a 

 few minutes. The peripheral cells become much distended, 

 especially the terminal ones ; and the chromatophores being 

 entirely confined to the inner part of the cells, the antheridium 

 seems to be surrounded by a layer of perfectly hyaline cells. 

 The dehiscence takes place at the summit between the terminal 

 cells, which are simply separated without rupturing their walls. 

 As soon as the mass of sperm cells is ejected, the opening closes 

 completely and the empty antheridium looks very much as it 

 did before, except that it is slightly contracted below. The 

 whole mass of sperm cells is thrown out without separating the 

 cells, and in this stage the walls of the sperm cells are still very 

 evident. It sometimes happens that the mass is thrown out 

 before the spermatozoids are complete, in which case they never 

 escape. If, however, the spermatozoids are mature, they show 

 active motion within the sperm cells while these are still in 

 connection, and are set free by the gradual dissolution of the 

 mucilaginous walls. The free spermatozoid is much like that 

 of Sphagnum^ but the body is somewhat shorter. The cilia 

 are relatively very long and thick, and as in all Bryophytes but 

 two in number. A small vesicle can usually be seen attached 

 to the posterior end. 



Growing among the antheridia are found peculiar sterile 

 hairs, or paraphyses. These in Funcxria are very conspicuous, 

 and consist of a row of cells tapering to the base, and very 

 much larger at the apex. The terminal cell, or sometimes two 

 or three of them, are almost globular in form and very much 

 distended. All the cells of the paraphyses contain large 

 chloroplasts which in the globular end cells are especially con- 

 spicuous and often elongated with pointed ends. 



The archegonia are formed while the female plant is still 

 very small, and it is much more difficult to recognise the female 

 plants than the males. The archegonia are ripe at a time when 

 the female plant is still but a few millimetres in height. In this 

 case there is no doubt that the apical cell forms an archegonium 

 directly, but not necessarily the first one, which arises usually 

 from one of the last-formed segments. The elongation of the 

 axis of the female branch is but slight, even in the later stages, 

 and the plant remains bud-like even after the sporogonium is 



