Dublin Microscopical Club. 209 



nearly sessile and at other times variously pedicellate, were filled 

 ■with broadly ovate spores. Besides these sporangia a second form 

 of fruit appeared as small obovate bodies borne on pedicles, from 

 which they were readily detached. These had a strong cell-wall, 

 and occasionally contained a granule, which passed out into the water 

 and then moved for a time. In one or two instances these had 

 given off hyphfe, seemingly from the end where they had been 

 attached. Mr. Berkeley and Mr. W. G. Smith appear to consider 

 this as undescribed. Pending further investigation Mr. Pirn 

 suggests that the form be named Fienaria sanguinea. 



Section of the Fasciated Stem of Pisum sativum. — Prof. M'Nab 

 exhibited sections of a fasciated stem of the common pea {Pismn 

 sativum). The apical growth had become arrested and a circular 

 wall, suggesting the so-called calyx-tube of a perigynous flower, 

 had been formed, on the outer side of which leaves and flowers were 

 developed. In the centre was a hollow tube, tapering below to a 

 point and openiug above, while still higher up one side of the tube 

 had split and the stem formed a flat fasciated structure. The stem 

 was much enlarged, and when flattened developed leaves &c. only 

 on the outer side. A section of the stem low down exhibited two 

 sets of fibro-vascular bimdles with reversed orientation, the bast of 

 the inner bundles being feebly developed and turned towards the 

 epidermis, with stomata lining the interior of the tube. The double 

 series of separate bundles might be considered as being formed by 

 the bending over of the primary bundle when the arrest of growth 

 of the apex took place, and by the growth of the ring-like structure 

 by intercalar growth; the outer series were tluis developed from behind 

 upwards, while the inner scries developed from above downwards, 

 but really from the arrested normal apex upwards to the new adven- 

 titious apex. The condition was a very peculiar one and differed 

 from any described form of fasciation known to Dr. M'Nab. 



Stnicture of Epiderxiis of Curculujo laiifolia, Dryand. — Prof. 

 M'Nab likewise showed specimens of the fibre-yielding Curcidigo 

 lati folia, Dryand., from Borneo, noticed by Mr. Dyer in ' Journal of 

 Botany,' vol. ix. 1S80, p. 219, as being used for making clothing. 

 The substance consisted of a thin epidermis with stomata, and firmly 

 attached to the epidermis were numerous strong subepidermal fibres 

 belonging to Sachs's ground-system of tissues. 



December 20, 1883. 



Consecutive Transverse Sections of Alcyonium digitatum. — Prof. 

 Haddon showed a slide containing six dozen consecutive transverse 

 sections of a polyp of Alcgonium digitatum, serving as an illustra- 

 tion of the new method of mounting on a film of shellac. 



Tetraspores of Clftonia. — Prof. E. Perceval Wright exhibited 

 specimens of Cliftonia pectinata, H., showing tetraspores, and a 

 sketch in illustration. 



