62 Mr. W. Thompson's Additions to the Fauna of Ireland. 



sac, in the manner which is described by Gelesnow*; and the 

 figures to his owti memoirs do not always show the depression of 

 the summit of the embryo-sac, but exactly resemble the condi- 

 tion which is figured by Miiller from Monotropa and Begonia, 

 where the pollen- tube is applied upon the apex of the embryo- 

 sac and lies in a line with the embryo. Here his statement, that 

 he has drawn out the pollen-tube from the embryo-sac, with the 

 embryo at its extremity, must be set against Hofmeistei-'s affir- 

 mation that he has detached the pollen-tube from the apex of the 

 embryo-sac without disturbing the germinal vesicle. 



Finally, the whole question now appears to be narrowed to the 

 determination of the point, whether the germinal vesicle does 

 actually exist before impregnation, since if that can be proved, 

 all appearances yet observed may be reconciled, by allowing for 

 very slight errors in interpreting and delineating them. Amiei 

 does not express himself very distinctly on this point, but the 

 other three papers which have just been investigated, added to 

 the opinions of Brongniartf and Mii'belJ, will probably satisfy 

 many upon this point. 



P.S. — Since the above was written I have found that L. R. 

 Tulasne § has given a brief resume of some researches into the 

 embryogeny of Veronica hederafolia, triphyllos and prcecox. Ac- 

 cording to his statements, the pollen-tube here actually perforates 

 the embryo-sac and lies within it ; the end of the pollen-tube be- 

 comes the embryo and at no period can any germinal vesicle be 

 distinguished. These observations therefore go to support the 

 modified views of Schleiden, but until they are more distinctly 

 detailed by their author, their true value can hardly be estimated. 



VI. — Additions to the Fauna of Ireland \\. By William 

 Thompson, Esq., Pres. Nat. Hist, and Phil. Society of Belfast. 



AVES. 



Bridled Guillemot, Uria leucophthalmos, Faber. 



lacrymans, Valenc, Gould, Yarrell. 



A communication from Richard Chute, Esq., of Blennerville, county 

 of Kerry, dated Feb. 26, 1846, informed me of his having once shot 

 this bird at Dingle. 



* Botanisch. Zeitung, i. 841. 



t Mem. sur la generation de I'embryon, &c., Paris, 1827. 



X Ann. des Sc. Nat. 2« s6r. xi. 200 and 381. 



§ Comptes Rendus, June 14, 1847. 



II This short communication was intended to be supplemeiitarj' to two 

 papers on the same subject in the 20th volume, but was too late in being 

 forwarded for that purpose. 



