50 QUARTERLY CHRONICLE. 
the stamen, and also by that of the ovule, that the Rhizanths 
are elevated in the vegetable scale. The following anatomical 
diagnosis of the Balanophorez, furnished by a microscopic 
study of their structure, is given by M. Chatin :—Spiral 
vessels rare, and never capable of being unrolled; true cor- 
tical fibres wanting; cells of the parenchyma generally with 
numerous nuclei; sclerous tissues frequent; epidermis (of 
the parts above ground) with its cells granuliferous, and never 
exhibiting sinuous outlines; stomata wanting; rhizome with 
scattered vascular bundles; scale-like leaves, with several vas- 
cular bundles, which are replaced sometimes by little columns 
of sclerous cells; pericarp divisible into several concentric 
zones, of which, at least one is of a sclerous nature; anthers 
having the second membrane (endotheca of authors) of a 
fibrous nature (except in Balanophora), with one or two 
layers of filamentous cells arranged en griffe ; the connective 
and the septa usually not fibrous, and destitute of placentoids. 
The author then characterises the genera of the Balano- 
phoreve anatomically, and concludes by promising an investi- 
gation of the allied order Rafflesiacez, the results of which 
are to be communicated to the Academy. 
Researches on the Vibriones. By M.C. Davainz. (‘Comptes 
Rendus,’ October, 1864.) —The author of this paper accepts 
the division of the Vibriones into the genera Bacterium, 
Vibrio, and Spirillium, but is inclined to remove them entirely 
from the Protozoa, considering them all as plants. In 
structure, he affirms that they are homogeneous, and present 
analogies to the filamentous Confervee. By exposing various 
solutions to the atmosphere, he obtained various ferms of 
Vibriones, and found that forms occurring in salt water or 
fresh water singly were destroyed by an admixture of the two. 
New British Epiphytal Fungi. By Morprcat Cooks. 
(‘Journal of Botany,’ Nov., 1864.)—Mr. Cooke describes 
three new forms of microscopic vegetable organisms, parasitic 
on Hydrocotyle, Parnassia, and Rhamnus respectively, which 
he assigns to the genus Trichobasis. 
On the Fecundation and Development of Marsilea. By Dr. 
Hanste1n. (‘Monatsbericht der Akademie der Wissens- 
chaften zu Berlin,’ August, 1864.)—The following important 
observations on this subject are recorded by Dr. Hanstein. 
A few hours after the microspores and myaspores have escaped 
into the surrounding water, in the manner formerly described 
by the author, and issued from their sporangia, the following 
changes take place. The small androspores become homo- 
geneous and plastic, and contract all round the margin; the 
mass then is divided by three planes of segmentation into 
