lxxx Proceedings of the Botanical Society of 
at his home in Germantown. The plant had carried as many 
as thirty-seven blooms in one evening. 
Dr. Conard exhibited some luxuriant growths of Hepa- 
tice, which had been cultivated at the Garden for a year. 
November 6. Dr. Miller, President, in the chair. Three 
communications were made bearing on “The Evolution of 
Stamens and Carpels in Connection with the Sex Cells of 
Plants.” Dr. J. W. Harshberger spoke on “Fertilization 
in Ferns.” Dr. H. S. Conard then spoke on “Fertilization 
in the Sago Palms,” and Dr. Macfarlane treated of ‘‘Fer- 
tilization in Higher Flowering Plants.’’ The speakers 
showed that there is a definite sequence of events in the his- 
tory of sporophyte and oophyte or gametophyte generations 
alike amongst flowerless and flowering plants. Thus the 
sporophyte plant produces sporophylls, these bear sporangia 
in sori, sporangia form spores, spores germinating give rise 
to prothallia, prothallia bear antheridia and archegonia with 
spermatozoids or sperm nuclei and eggs respectively. The 
egg when fertilized gives origin to the embryo sporophyte 
again. A conspicuous feature was the gradual reduction in 
size almost to disappearing point of the sexual generation, 
as the highest plants were reached. Thus the terms phanero- 
gam and cryptogam were quite misleading, and should 
strictly be reversed in their application, or best of all set 
aside. 
The director of the University Botanic Garden then 
briefly referred to some plants from the greenhouses, includ- 
ing a beautiful Vanda from Mr. Le Boutillier’s collection, 
evidently near to lV. coerulea. 
November 20. Dr. Miller, President, in the chair. A 
paper was presented by Dr. Seese and read by Dr. Schmucker 
on “Peloria in Linaria vulgaris.” He showed that around 
Lansdale, Pa., every transition type of flower from one- 
spurred irregularity to five-spurred regularity could be se- 
cured. They developed chiefly in early spring or in autumn, 
and appeared promiscuously with the normal flowers. He 
