176 2'i/£ BOTANICAL MAGAZn\E. LVoi. xxxiii. xo. 393. 



to the aggregations of the spores, he must try a close study iu 

 the field before i:ie proposes the view. 



The spherical spores rest for one week without any marked 

 change. They measure 4^-5/j. in diameter, and a greater part 

 of the cell-cavity is occupied b^- a hood-shaped chromoplast, at 

 the center of which there sits a nucleus. The e3re-spot still 

 remains in its original shape luit now within the cellulose 

 coating; one, or rarelj^ two, highly refracting, colourless granule 

 is found in each spore. 



The single e\^c-spot and the single chromoplast in each 

 resting-spore offer strong evidence that the spore does not 

 result from the fusion of two swarmspores. It has ah-eady been 

 stated above that I have not seen any pair of the swarmspores 

 actually copulating. 



About one week after the resting, the spore thiusLs out a 

 short process in one side. The process is free from any solid 

 content while very short. It elongates without hesitation and 

 the chromoplast in the initial cavity extends itself and a part 

 of it creeps into the process. At, the same time, the sporangial 

 pairt grows larger so as to measure 6/J. in diameter. Thus, the 

 sporeling assumes a* club-shape. The eye-spot is still perceptible 

 (Fig. 4). 



Eeinke^-" observed that the spores began to germinate one 

 or two days after they had come to rest. In my case, as noted 

 above, the first appearance of the process took place in not le.'-s 

 than six days after the spores had rounded themselves. 



When the process has attained a length of about twice 

 the breadth of the sporangial part, both the nucleus and the 

 chromoplast divide into two. One portion of the nucleus and 

 chromoplast remains in the sporangial part, and the other takes 

 its position in the tube at some distance from the halves. A 

 new septal membrane makes its appearance at a point of the 

 tube between the two portions. The sporeling is now two- 

 celled (Fig. 5). The e3'e-spot disappears while the cell-division is 

 going on. 



]) Rbinke: 1. c, p. 2(34. 



