186 



THE BOTANICAL MAGAZINE. 



LVol, XXXV. No. 41S. 



We often observe a body which looks like an accessory nucleus 

 in the egg cell. 



This body appears near the egg nucleus, when the archegonium 

 become iiearK^ mature. It stains with haematoxylin just as much as 

 the ventral canal cell nucleus or neck canal cell nucleus. In such 

 cases starch grains appear very often around the body (Text- 

 fig. 2). 



At the time when the 

 sperm nucleus mates with the 

 egg nucleus, the body still 

 retain its size and shape, and 

 undergoes no modification, 

 and keep its situation near 

 the egg nucleus. 



In some cases we meet 

 two or three such bodies at 

 a time in an egg cell (Text- 

 fig. 3). A closer comparison 

 of this body with the chrom- 

 atophores in the neighbouring 

 Cells lead us, however, to the 

 view that it is of the nature 

 of a chromatophore. 



In noimal case the arche- 

 gonium consists of sixteen 

 neck cells, one neck canal 

 cell, one ventral canal cell, 

 and the egg cell ; but in ab- 

 normal cases, there are two 

 cggcjlls (Text-fig. 4) ; and in 

 some cases two eggcells are 

 arranged side bv side, without 

 a ventral canal cell (Text-fig. 

 5). It is rather difficult to 

 isolate the microspores from 

 the macrospores co:npletely, 

 so as to give them no chance 

 of fertilization without an 

 artificial aid. 



Though it is rather ex- 



Text-fig. 2. Archegonium of /. jnponica. 

 The body iu question, surrounded with btarch 

 grains in the egg cell (DDxC'omps. 8j. 



Text-fig. 3. Archegouiuni of J. japonica. 

 Male nucleus situated close to the egg nucleus 

 (DDxComps. 8}. 



