2l8 ROMANCE OF LOW LIFE AMONGST PLANTS. 



his predecessors. He at once recognizes the basidium, 

 or rather the spore, as the female organ, and the 

 cystidium as the male. Of the former he says, 

 "According to my views its analogy is with an unfe- 

 cundated ovule, without an embryo," and of the latter, 

 "The cystidium represents with its granules the 

 anther and its pollen." He describes the cystidia 

 as sometimes crowned with granules and sometimes 

 bearing four spicules. In moisture these spicule- 

 bearing cystidia germinate at the four points of the 

 spicules, and produce long threads, which bear at 

 their tips the granules so frequent in typical cystidia. 

 The granules at first are not capable of movement, 

 but are really spermatozoids possessed of fecundative 

 power. In certain other of the Ag-aricini the proto- 

 plasmic contents of the cystidia are at times dis- 

 charged from one mouth only, and that at the apex of 

 the cystidium. In fluid, after a couple of hours, the 

 granules, or spermatozoids, begin to revolve, and ulti- 

 mately swim about with great rapidity. These sper- 

 matozoids attach themselves to the spores, pierce the 

 coat, and discharge their contents into the substance 

 of the spore. From twenty-four to forty-eight hours 

 after this the spore discharges a cell which soon be- 

 comes free, and this is the first cell of the pileus of a 

 new plant. The spermatozoids are also represented as 

 capable of germination, and the production of branch- 

 ing threads, reminding one of a pollen-tube. We 

 are not aware of any other reported instance of 

 spermatia, or spermatozoids, in the cryptogamia, 

 possessing the power of germination. The move- 

 ments of the spermatozoids last for at least four 



