80 



GERIflKATIOlT OF PPOKFIS . 



The srores germinate readily in the laboratory. If a 

 mature tetrasporic or cystocariiic plane be ilaced in sea- 

 Y.ater ocer niglit, young sporelings up to the tlur-ee-celled 

 stcige v.ill "be found abundantly attached to the bottom and 

 sides of tlie vessel tlie next morning. Many of the sta^ges 

 of germination here described were collected in the field 

 under natural coniffitionG, but the majority'' of the figtires [•; 

 given, especially of the younger stages, vere teJcen from 

 me-tei'ial cultivated in the laboratory. 



The similcirity of the structure of the carpospores 

 and the tetraspores ha,s been noted above; the phenomena of 

 geriiiMation are also practically the same in the t-..o kinds 

 of spores. On being released, the spores become spherical 

 and settle slov/ly in the v^ater. They appear to become at- 

 tached to the surface of laij solid body they touch, such 

 as rocks, glass, other algae, s,nd even sucji soft bodies as 

 the gelatinous si-bstance enclosing c}ia,ins of diatome. 



Ptiring the progress of germination, scon after the 

 spore lecomes attached, there is formed aroimd it a cellu- 

 lose -.all of the I'sual type, which becomes tolerably tliick, 

 especially ai'-oimd the basal region of the spoi*eling. At 

 the sajne time, nxjunei-ous starch grains also become visible 



