56 A HALF-HOUR WITH THE 



resembling the poll en grains and ovules of the 

 higher plants are developed. The representatives 

 of the pollen grains are little moving bodies, re- 

 sembling animalcules, which pass over the surface 

 of the membranous expansion till they reach the 

 ovules, or true spores of the fern, which they fer- 

 tilize, and the young plant then shoots forth. The 

 ferns, of which so many species may be found in a 

 walk in the country, or cultivated in a Ward's 

 case in town, are worthy the minute attention of 

 the possessor of a Microscope, on account of the 

 great variety of forms which their organs of fructi- 

 fication present. 



The club-mosses are found on boggy moors and 

 open places, and present a variety in the forms of 

 their fructification. The reproductive organs are 

 formed out of a transformed branch, and are found 

 lying at the base of scale-like bodies, resembling 

 the scales which form the fruit of firs and pine- 

 trees, as seen at figure 115, a. The spores of the 

 club-mosses are of two kinds, large and small ; 

 hence they are called " rnegaspores " and " micro- 

 spores." The last are very minute, and when 

 highly magnified, they present a reticulated ap- 

 pearance. The spores are seen at b and c in 

 figure 117. In the interior of these spores is a 

 minute worm-like body, which acts the part of the 

 pollen in higher plants. The megaspores are much 

 larger. They represent the spores of ferns, and 

 produce an expanded membrane, on which grow 

 the true representatives of the ovules, which 

 coming in contact with the microspores, new plants 

 are produced. 



Another family of these flowerless plants, which 

 has yielded highly interesting results to the micro- 

 scopic observer is the group of horsetails. If these 

 are gathered ID the spring of the year A they will 



