566 Chronicles of Science. [ Oct., 
distance from the point of emergence into simple super-imposed 
appendices, and which may be said to be inserted one upon the 
other. Again he explains the adhesion of the ovary by assuming 
the original coalescence with all the floral whorls which are external 
to it ; a coalescence of the same kind as that which unites the separate 
carpels into the compound pistil, or the petals and stamens into the 
monopetalous corolla. The Academy’s commissioners do not quite 
concur in the opinions of M. Van Tieghem, but they think his 
conclusions worthy of all attention, and regard them as at least 
extremely ingenious. The memoir extends over 200 pages, and 
is illustrated by an atlas containing 500 carefully drawn figures, 
illustrative of the plants examined and of the dissections. As 
showing how carefully the French conduct their awards of prizes, 
it may be mentioned that the commissioners repeated several of 
M. Van Tieghem’s dissections, and found his statements absolutely 
correct. 
Antherozoids of Mosses—M. E.. Roze has been studying these. 
His first investigations led him to express the opinion that these 
organs are composed of a biciliated filament with two spiral turns, 
to which a mass of amylaceous granules adhered, but only during 
their motility. In the spring of this year he ascertained that these 
granules, instead of being affixed directly to the spiral, are contained 
in a hyaline plasmic vesicle, which is attached to the filament by a 
sort of tangential adhesion. Under a power of 1,500 diameters, 
this vesicle is clearly discerned, both by its spheroidal outline and 
by the very brisk molecular movements of its contents. It swells 
in water immediately after the quiescence of the ciliated spiral, then 
it suddenly bursts, and the amylaceous granules continue in the 
liquid the lively molecular trepidation which seems normally, in 
the vesicle, to coincide with the cessation of the ciliary movement. 
Except as regards the existence of this vesicle, the facts previously 
indicated by the author are by no means modified. From this new 
fact it appears that the antherozoids of all classes of Cryptogamia 
present not only an organ of locomotion, but also a vesicular 
appendage filled with a plasmic liquid, suspending either non- 
analyzable grains or amylaceous granules. This fact was foreseen 
by M. Ad. Brongniart. The author’s recent observations were made 
upon the antherozoids of various genera of Polytrichacew (Atri- 
chum, Pogonatum, Polytrichum), still contained in their mother 
cells, and upon the free antherozoids of Brywm capillare and B. 
pseudo-triquarum, Mniwm hornwm and Hypnum cupressiforme. 
