i6 



THE UNCOILING FRONDS. 



discoveries." And again: "The production of perfect 

 germinating seeds contained in capsules .... is as 

 clear in ferns as in mosses though nothing is certainly 

 known of their stigmas any more than of their anthers. 

 We are nevertheless content to plead ignorance on the 

 subject and to presume by analogy that such parts exist, 

 rather than to assume the idea of some other mode of 

 impregnation, hitherto unknown, which would be going 

 contrary to the first principles of Philosophy." 



What really happens in the generation of new ferns, 

 and the way it is accomplished, is as follows. About 

 mid-summer, there appear upon the underside of the 

 fronds of most species, numerous small dots very reg- 

 ular in size and shape. These are the " fruit-dots " or 

 sort (singular, sorus) and under a simple lens are seen, 

 to be collections of tiny stalked globes. 

 In the majority of cases, each sorus is 

 covered with a membrane called an 

 indusium which conceals the tiny globes 

 until nearly ripe. In these globes, 

 collectively called sporangia, are pro- 

 v 'duced many smaller one-celled bodies 

 known as spores. At maturity these 

 "spore-cases" open, and with a snap 

 scatter the spores upon the wind. Ordinarily they 

 germinate soon after leaving the capsules if a suitable sit- 

 uation is encountered, but failing in this, some species 

 are able to retain their vitality for nearly twenty years. 

 Spores must not be mistaken for seeds, however. In no 

 way do they resemble them except that they may serve 

 to carry the species through a resting stage, as seeds do. 

 When a seed is planted, a plant like the parent will 

 come up, but a germinating spore does not give rise to a 



