285 



not observed Ihe radial division biit am of oi)inion Ihat Ihe con- 

 ceplacle develops from Ihe ccMilre. I have nolhing lo ndd coiiccrn- 

 ini^ Ihe developnienl of Ihe .sporani;ia, as Ihey whmc called hy Mn- 

 c.nKi.i, and Wiuttinc. Il is Koifs »feeling, Ihal Ihey conlain 

 isoganioiis i;aineles». 1 am soiry I was pievenled from sludying 

 Ihe living hodies. lOxlenially Ihe sporangia, as I prefer to call 

 them, are very HUe Ihe asexual sporangia of Ihe Chordariaceae, 

 and if my idea of llie slrucliiie of Splachnidinm is right tliey may 

 well be homologous with Ihem. No olher reprodiiclive organs 

 occur. There is probably an alternalion of generations in certain 

 Chordariaceae, as in some gametangia and sporangia are foiind on 



Fig. 4. Section of a very young ('onceptacle. X c. 400. 



different phinls, while cases where they appear on Ihe same plants 

 also occur. A discussion on S])l(ichnidiiim from this point of view 

 seems of liltle use al present. 



In all Ihe young conceptacles that I have found in my nevv 

 material there is a ma tu re »iniliab, no malier how young Ihe 

 conceplacle may be. If one could believe that Ihe »initial» belonged 

 to Splachnidinm, it would lie near al hand to regard il as Ihe lirst 

 step towards Ihe formation of Ihc conceplacle. I have laken great 

 trouble to sludy the plant from sucli a point of view. It will 

 appear peculiar that not more Ihan one »('odiolum» should be 



