April, 1919.1 '^'^^E GERMrSATlON AND DEVELOPMENT. 89 



second week after the liberation. The germination was in- 

 dicated by the appearance of a short process at a point of the 

 spore resulting in a flask-shaped body. (Plate 1, fig. 2). This 

 stage of development has been observed by Thuret^^ in P. 

 leucosticta. Seki^^ observed the same thing. Both investi- 

 gators, however, found the spores not to develop further but 

 soon to decay. Reinke^' experienced similar behaviour of the 

 carpospores of Bangia fascopurpurea. From this fact it was 

 assumed by Berthold^^ that the carjjospores are extremely 

 sensitive of the conditions of the, environment and can not 

 develop to such a stage as the asexual spores can ; and that 

 the carpospores will remain without much change through 

 their resting period until they begin to germinate late in 

 autumn. In my culture experiment, different from their results, 

 the short process continued to elongate further through the 

 week, with the terminal point blind and obtuse. The granular 

 substance of the spore translocated into the tube but not the 

 other contents so long as the tube is yet shorter than the 

 diameter of the spore. 



In the third week the tube elongated but still simple. The 

 arachnoidal chromoplast now changed its shape and a portion 

 of it ran into the tube. The tube was not straight but more or 

 less undulating and not uniform in its diameter, which measures 

 3-8/^. The spore kept its original shape and size. (Plate 1, fig. 3). 



When the length of the tube has attained about four times 

 the diameter of the spore, a dissepment was formed at a 

 point near the spore. In most cases the initial nucleus and 

 chromoplast were divided into two, each half getting into each 

 cell of the resulted two. Very frequently, however, the spore 

 was emptied, the whole content in it progressing into the tube 

 beyond the dissepment (Plate 1, fig. 4). The cell-membrane which 

 was hitherto very thin and not easily perceptible unless in a plas- 

 molyzed cell, became as thick and clear as in the ordinary blades. 



In the fourth week, the tube still added its length and at 



1) Tudret: I.e. 



2) 8eki : I.e. 



3) Reixkk : iiber die Gesclilcchtspflanzen von Bangia Juscopurea Lyngb. 



4) Bkutiiold : I'jangiaceen. p. 19. 



