108 MR. HENFREY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPORES 
cells of the pollen; but the cases are very dissimilar, since in Marchantia these rows of 
cells are produced from free tubular cells, in great numbers, after the dislocation of the 
tissue of the cavity of the sporangium. 
About the time the cells separate from each other, the contents undergo a great change, 
which exactly resembles the change that occurs in the contents of the parent-cells and 
special-parent-cells of pollen when the formation of free cells is about to take place in 
their interior. The mucilaginous matter, or protoplasm, which was at first almost colour- 
less, acquires a deep yellow colour, becomes much thicker, and exhibits a quantity of 
globular bodies which look like drops of oil. These globules are often described as gra- 
nules, and some authors have mistaken them for drops of oil; others regard them as 
vesicles or vesicular cavities in the protoplasm ; I believe them to be globular drops of the 
yellow protoplasm; they sometimes become confluent, but are not oil, since they acquire 
a brown colour, like the rest of the contents, with iodine, and are not dissolved by ether. 
They may acquire the appearance of vesicles by becoming coagulated on the surface, as 
this yellow protoplasm is readily coagulated even by water, but very strongly by alcohol 
or acids. The cells become filled with globules of this kind of all sizes, sometimes occu- 
pying half the cavity of the cell, but neither before nor after their formation did I meet 
with nuclei. 
Soon after the cells become free, the yellow contents exhibit lighter streaks running 
across, which denote that they are separating into four portions; these are at length com- 
pletely isolated and become coated by a proper membrane. They are the spores, and by 
the solution of the membrane of the parent-cells they beeome free. When free the con- 
tents become again clear and almost colourless, then the membrane becomes thickened 
and of a bright yellow colour, and the contents are changed into globules of pretty regular 
size which fill up the cavity. Inever saw any trace of septa dividing the parent-cells into 
chambers, such as we meet with in the special-parent-cells of pollen. When the parent- 
cells in which the contents had parted into four portions were ruptured at one place, all 
the contents passed out and the membrane remained as a simple sac. When iodine was 
applied at the same stage, the portions were strongly coagulated, while the parent-cells 
expanded, but no trace of septa appeared. 
Mohl states that the parent-cells of the spores of Anthoceros levis are first divided into 
four chambers by septa, and that the same occurs in Jungermannia epiphylla, in the last of 
which the parent-cell divides into four separate cells, each containing a spore ; which con- 
dition Mirbel asserts to be universal in the formation of spores. I could find no evidence 
of it; and Gottsche says, with regard to Haplomitrium Hookeri, that the empty parent- 
cells present marks which make them look as if they were chambered, but that all the 
spores pass out at one opening. It is quite possible that the enlarging spores cause the 
marks by their pressure against the enclosing membrane. - 
I could only distinguish a single coat to the ripe spore, and this grows out into a tube 
at one point in germination. The entire spore with its contents becomes colourless 
during this process, the yellow colour and the globules disappear, and after a short time 
chlorophyll-vesicles appear, which, when iodine is applied, are seen to be imbedded in a 
coagulable, colourless protoplasm. Mohl states that the spores of Anthoceros have two 
