124: ARCHER, ON SAPROLEGNIES. 
the branchlet given off by the oogonium immediately below. 
The terminal oogonium does not, of course, give off any male 
branchlets; they would have no duty to do, no function to 
perform. The contents of the oogonia, which in their turn 
successively give off lateral male branchlets, do not become 
formed into oospores until the septa, cutting off the upper 
portion to become the male element, are duly formed in the 
branchlets, nor until the granular contents beneath such septa 
become returned back into the oogonium in time to partici- 
pate with the remainder of the contents in the formation of 
the oospores. As in other Saprolegniex, the whole contents 
of each oogonium become used up to form the oospores, what- 
ever may be their number. The male branchlets seem to 
penetrate the wall of the oogonium at any accidental point. » 
Thus, this species, whilst it agrees with other monecious 
forms in the character implied, differs from them in presenting 
so curious an example of confusion of parts with a mainte- 
nance of clear distinctness of function—a male-female or 
female-male, yet male and female elements distinct per se. In 
this character, then, it differs from every Saprolegmiaceous 
form described, as well as (with another form, to the figures 
of which I shall presently draw attention) in the oogonia 
being formed, not solitary and terminating lateral branches, 
but in a usually uninterrupted series, mostly terminating a 
filament, but sometimes produced at some point along its 
length. 
On looking at this plant at first sight, from what has been 
said, it will not, perhaps, appear surprising that it should 
have been momentarily taken as a gynandrosporous form— 
the lateral male branchlets emanating from each oogonium, 
and reaching up to the oogonium immediately above, looking 
not unlike dwarf male plants of separate origin seated on the 
outer surface of each oogonium. But a closer examination 
reveals their true nature, and proves that these are in direct 
continuation with the oogonium giving them off, like the 
thumb to a glove. But casually viewed, however, there is no 
doubt some amount of resemblance to the gynandrosporous 
type, and I even looked for some time for the male element 
in another direction, trying to find the mother-cells of andro- 
spores; but this was only when I had as yet seen but a 
single specimen of the fruit, which did not show its true 
structure as clearly as the numerous ones which afterwards 
presented themselves. 
The second form to which I venture to direct attention is 
a dicecious plant (figs. 2—6). Unfortunately, however, as 
in the previous instance, I did not meet with it in a stage 
