AXATOMTE UND PHTSTOLOGT. 539 



appear, and the surface becomes even. The spore is now for the 

 firs^t time surrounded by a double-outlined membrane. By degrees 

 the spermatia become disintegrated, and are no longer visible in the 

 contents of the spore. 



During these processes the septa of the spore are formed. 



M. Sollmann considers that the fact of the spermatia becoming 

 dissolved in the substance of the spores, proves that they differ 

 chemically from the latter, and he draws the following conclusion, 

 which he gives in italics: — "As therefore (he says), the spermatia 

 " are chemically, genetically, and physically, diiferent from the true 

 " spores, but unite with the contents of the latter to form a homo- 

 " geneous mass and render them capable of reproducing the species, 

 " we must look upon the spermatia as the vehicles of the fertilizing 

 " matter, and we consequently have an impregnation in the proper 

 " sense of the word." 



At the conclusion of his paper, the author observes that in most 

 SphcericB, the asci contain no spermatia, but only a granular mass, 

 which lies upon the protoplasm, and asks whether the granules are 

 not of the same nature as the spermatia. He says that he has 

 clearly seen in many Sphceriip, that the spermatia penetrate into the 

 fructifying layer, and there change their form, and become divided 

 into minute particles, endowed with molecular motion. This is seen 

 clearly in JSph. acuta Hoffm., Sjjh. ohducens Schm., and especially in 

 Nectria cinnabarina Tode. The particles, he adds (as in Nectria 

 Lamyi), make their way from the cells of the fructifying layer into 

 the young asci, so long as the cavity of the latter is in continuous 

 connection with that of the mother-cell. Before this stage, the 

 asci are filled with a transparent, thickly-fluid mucilage. As the 

 asci become older and larger, more and more of these granules make 

 their way within them, and the asci become opaque. The granules 

 are not distributed uniformly throughout the mucilage, but lie under 

 the inner wall of the ascus, upon the protoplasmic mass. In the 

 latter substance cytoblasts, at first membraneless, are now formed ; 

 these gradually enlarge, become surrounded by a membrane, and per- 

 fected internally. In the mean time the granular mass disappears 

 by degrees, and when the spores are ripe, has vanished altogether. 

 In what way the individual granules are got rid of cannot be directly 

 observed, owing to their small size and vast numbers. As particles 

 of the disintegrated spermatia, they certainly penetrate within the 

 menibraneless spores (like the spermatia of iV'. Lamyi), become 



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