
384 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [NOVEMBER 
(10); and STRASBURGER (27) figures a small more or less coiled 
sperm for Urtica dioica. Less difference in the relative size of the 
two nuclei appears in Cypripedium (19). Other instances might 
be cited, but these are sufficient to show that a difference in the 
size of the sex nuclei is not unusual. 
Older stages were then cut and a spirem was found in the egg 
nucleus while the sperm was often not even in contact with it. 
This was supposed to be a case of the early prophases taking place 
before the fusion of the sex nuclei. GuicNarp (8) shows such a 
case in Lilium Martagon, and Cypripedium (19) and Calopogon 
(20) both show this condition. BLACKMAN (1), CHAMBERLAIN (3), 
and FErGuson (6) have all figured early stages in mitosis before the 
fusion of the sex nuclei in Pinus. In all of these, however, the 
sperm nucleus was as active as that of the egg, both nuclei being 
in approximately the same stage. But in Atamosco only the egg 
nucleus formed a spirem (fig. 16). It soon began to seem strange 
that there was no increase in the size of the sperm and no evidence 
of fusion. So more and more material of this stage was cut. In 
all cases where the pollen tube had entered the sac this condition 
was seen. More than 600 examples like figs. 12-15 were found, and 
about half as many in which the spirem in all stages is formed in 
the egg nucleus (fig. 16). Two-celled embryos show no trace of 
this sperm nucleus (fig. 27); and a few spindles and telophase 
stages of this division also give no trace of it. 
Then young ovaries were cut to get the development of the sac. 
But not many had been collected and no satisfactory chromosome 
count could be made. In one ovary the third mitosis was in progress, 
but unfortunately the material was not well fixed, some plasmolysis 
having taken place. Yet in two nuclei of the metaphase stage © 
more than 12 chromosomes were certainly present; but in bo 
instances the nuclei were in the chalazal end of the sac; so this 
might only mean a repetition of the condition STRASBURGER (25) 
found in Lilium Martagon, of which he says: 
Die Schwesterchromosomen bei der homéotypischen Teilung des pi 
Chalazaende der Embryosakanlage (die hier direkt aus der Embryosakmut- 
terzelle hervorgeht) befindlichen Kerns, statt wie sonst, ohne Langsspaltung 
in die Kernspindel eingefiigt zu werden, eine solche Langsspaltung, wie bei 
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