44 



two or three coils of spiral fibre ; and this very appearance 

 seems to indicate that they have been formed by dissolution 

 from the common spiral fibre. 



M. Corda* has made the interesting discovery, that the 

 sporangia of the genus Trichia possess the same structure as 

 the elaters of the Jungermannia, that therefore they are elon- 

 gated cells on -whose inner side spiral fibres coil ; hitherto no 

 formations of spiral fibre were known in the fungus tribe. 

 These elaters form the hairy tissue of the genus Trichia, and 

 are situated between the rounded masses of spores. The 

 number of the spiral fibres varies in the elaters of the different 

 species of this genus ; in Tr. varia it is simple or even dou- 

 ble ; in Tr. nitens there are more than ten fibres, in Tr. 

 chrysosperma ten to eleven, in Tr.fallax and Tr. clavata six 

 to seven, in Tr. Lorinseriana and rubiformis five such fibres 

 wound spirally and parallel. The epidermis of the elater-cell 

 is simple, smooth, folded, or furnished with warts, which fre- 

 quently disappear at the ripening of the spores. 



From these observations M. Corda proceeds to general con- 

 siderations on the resemblance in form of the spiral fibrous 

 cells and of the spiral vessels. Attentive observation of nature, 

 observes M. Corda, will recognize with us in the spiral fibrous 

 cell of the lower forms the rigid image of a constant and ne- 

 cessary form of organ in its higher members (the spiral vessels). 

 M. Corda found in Nepenthes destillatoria the spiral fibrous 

 cell, as such, at its highest stage of development ; it is dif- 

 fused in great quantity in the parenchyma of all parts of this 

 plant and conveys air ! This important discovery is only a 

 confirmation of the view, according to which cellular mem- 

 brane is composed of spiral fibres, in favour of which I am at 

 present acquainted with hundreds of facts. M. Corda how- 

 ever errs very much if he thinks that the short articulated 

 spiral tubes are without enveloping membrane, a subject 

 which is treated of at length in my Vegetable Physiology, i. 

 399. M. Corda once more recommences the dispute respect- 

 ing the destination of the dotted ducts, for he fancied he had 

 demonstrated, on his tour through Germany, that these ducts 

 are vessels by passing a hair through their cavities ! (?) Un- 



* Ueber Spiralfaserzellen in dem Haargeflechte der Trichien. Prag. 

 1837. 



