ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, KTC. 411 



that chromatic granules (prochondriomes) appear on the central plate in 

 the anaphase of Chara ; these do not disintegrate, but migrate into the 

 cytoplasm and become chondriomes. These prochondriomes have their 

 origin in the nucleolus. Chondriomes are derived by fission from other 

 chondriomes, but they are also produced as nuclear extrusions. No 

 difference in the prochondriome contents has been observed in the 

 actively growing tip between the purely vegetative cells and those 

 which may produce gametes. Tlie extrusion of these prochondriomes 

 is apparently not connected with nuclear degeneration or differentiation 

 of the germ and vegetative cells. A. GtEPP. 



Homology between the Male and Female Reproductive Organs 

 of Floridese. — N. Svedelius {Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Ges., 1917, 35, 

 225-33 ; see also Bot. CentralbL, 1911), 140, 109). An attempt to 

 demonstrate the homology between the spermatium and the carpogonium 

 of Florideas. In the case of the male and female organs of Phaeophycere 

 the homology is very striking. Schmitz's investigations show that the 

 male organs of Florideas, spermatangia, are always to be regarded as 

 terminal cells in special systems of cell-filaments. The nature of the 

 terminal cells of the carpogonium had already been clearly demonstrated. 

 The author holds that there is now good reason to consider the trichogyne 

 as a metamorphosed cell. In Batr/tcUospermi/m, for instance, forms of 

 trichogyne occur in which the nature of the well-developed trichogyne, 

 as that of a special cell, is quite obvious. Several such forms are 

 figured. Also in Delesseri'i and Scinaiu the young trichogyne when still 

 in the bi-nuclear stage shows a distinct cell-form. In the Bano'iales, on 

 the other hand, the trichogyne is a later papilla-like growth. Possibly 

 the cfsrpogonia of the Bangiales and those of the trae Floridere should 

 be regarded as analogous rather than homologous. The two-celled complex 

 of the carpogonium is regarded as the homologue of the male sperma- 

 tangium mother-cell with the spermatangium. It is only in primitive 

 Floridea?, such as Batracliospernium, that the spermatangium mother- 

 cell shows no difference either in form or contents from the other 

 vegetative cells. In all the higher FlorideiB the difference in these 

 two particulars is obvious. The fact that in many cases the sperma- 

 tangium mother-cell gives rise simultaneously to two or more adjacent 

 spermatangia does not in the author's opinion invalidate the homology. 

 The tendency of organisms to increase the number of the male repro- 

 ductive bodies on the appearance of heterogamy is pointed out. Cases 

 are recalled of carpogonia with branched trichogynes, which might be 

 regarded as carpogonia with several trichogynes. E. S. Gr. 



Life-history of Corallina officinalis var. mediterranea.— S.Yama- 

 NOUCHi {Bot. Gaz., 1921, 72, 90-6). Corallina should be placed 

 near the summit of the Cryptonemiales group of Red AlgiB. The 

 author, in studying its life-history, has used material from the Bay of 

 Naples. He summarizes his results as follows: — 1. The male and 

 female plants possess 21 chromosomes, while tetrasporic plants have 48. 

 2. During tetraspore formation the 4s chromosomes become reduced to 

 24. The tetiaspores on germination show 21 chromosomes ; and, 

 since 24 chromosomes appear in the vegetative mitoses of the sexual 



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