139 



Dr. A. A. Lawson, of Stanford University, California, completed 

 a research on the gametophytes, fertilisation and embryo of Gepha- 

 lotaxus drupacea, which he had begun three years previously in 

 America. This work forms one of his series of investigations on 

 the morphology of the Gymnosperms, and yields data which are 

 regarded as important in phylogenetic considerations, and appear 

 to indicate that Gephalotaxus is not to be regarded as a primitive 

 type of Conifer. 



Dr. D. B. Scott and Mr. A. J. Maslen investigated the structure 

 of two species of Triffonocarpu.% the fossil seeds of Palaeozoic 

 plants probably related to Meditllosa. The seeds, in various states 

 of preservation, are well known in deposits belonging to the 

 Coal-Measnres, and prove to have a micropylar beak of consider- 

 able length : see above. 



Dr. Scott completed his work on the structure of Sutcliffia 

 tnsigms, a new type of Medulloseae from the Lower Coal- 

 Measures. The specimen consists of a stem with leaf-bases 

 attached. The vascular system of the stem consists of a main 

 stele (of the protostelic type), from which subsidiary steles were 

 given off, and by subdivision gave rise to numerous leaf-traces 

 Dr. Scott also examined the structure of Lej>idodendron obovatum 

 in a specimen showing both internal structure and satisfactory 

 external characters, and obtained the result that these two classes 

 of characters do not necessarily correspond in the Lepidodendreae. 

 Dr. bcott also described the occurrence of germinating spores in a 

 fossil sporangium (Stawopteris Oldhamia). The mode of germi 

 nation of the spores shows that Stauropteris, which probably 

 belongs to the Botryopterideae, is a true fern, and not a Pterido- 

 sperm. Dr. Scott also wrote a general review of the present 

 position of Palaeozoic Botany, which was specially called for on 



account of the rapid progress of this subject in recent years : see 

 above. 



Mr. R. B. Thomson, of the University of Toronto, examined 

 the structure of the ovule, the pollen-tubes, &c, in the Arau- 

 carieae. 



Mr. W. C. Worsdell continued an extended study of the vascular 

 anatomy of numerous Dicotyledons, for the purpose of determining, 

 on these lines, their relationship to Monocotyledons, and the nature 

 of the primitive type of structure from which the present vascular 

 structure of both groups of plants has been derived. Mr. Worsdell 

 was also engaged in making drawings and collecting data for the 

 production of a general morphological work on Vegetable Tera- 

 tology. He also published a summary of his investigations on 

 the Cycads, with a statement of his views as to their origin from 

 Pteridosperms. The vascular structure of the stem is regarded as 

 derived from that of the Medulloseae : see above. 



Investigations in Plant Pathology at Kew during 1906.— During 

 the past year some four hundred reports bearing on various plant 

 diseases have been issued. Some of the mateiial for investigation 

 and report was received through the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries, some was addressed directly to Kew from various 



