62 MOSSES. 



They occur in the parts of the stems from which the 

 fruit-stalk subsequently arises, and are surrounded 

 by perichsetial leaves, so as to resemble in general 

 aspect the antheridial heads. They are readily found 

 in Tor tula and Funaria, which are always at hand. 



The archegonia (PL III. fig. 21) differ in form from 

 the antheridia, being flask-shaped, with a neck and 

 a dilated base. The neck contains a slender canal, 

 and within the base is a special embryonal cell, from 

 which the capsule is subsequently formed. The 

 spermatozoa of the antheridia pass down the canals 

 of the archegonia, and fertilize the embryonal cells ; 

 but one archegonium only comes to maturity in each 

 head, the others ceasing to grow, and withering, in 

 which condition they are found at the base of the 

 fruit-stalk when the capsule is fully formed. The 

 embryonal cell grows by subdivision, so as to form a 

 stalk-like body, which as it rises extends the arche- 

 gonium upwards until it splits across near the base. 

 Thus the archegonium becomes split horizontally 

 into two parts, the upper and longer of which forms 

 the calyptra, whilst the lower remains as a very short 

 tube or sheath (vagi'nula) surrounding the base of the 

 fruit-stalk. The cellular stalk-like body then swells 

 at the summit, the swollen portion gradually be- 

 coming developed into the capsule, by resolving 

 itself into an outer wall lined inside with a coat 

 forming the outer row of teeth at the top, and within 

 this a thinner membrane or spore-sac, the cleft upper 

 margin of which forms the inner teeth ; and within 

 this are contained the spores. The mass of cells 

 within the spore-sac remains, forming a central 

 column, called the columella. 



These stages of growth may be readily traced in 

 Funaria. In Plate III., fig. 40 represents two ferti- 

 lized archegonia of the natural size, surrounded by the 

 perichsetial leaves ; fig. 33 is a still more advanced 

 archegone. In fig. 34 the calyptra has separated from 



