28 On the Fertilization of the Florideee. 
ramified lateral branches, in conjunction with the neighbouring 
thallus-tissue, a very variously formed envelope around the 
developing spore-tuft. 
Sometimes, indeed, the auxiliary cell enters upon a per- 
fectly different course of development; as, for example, in 
Chondria tenuissima, Ag. In this species, namely, the 
auxiliary cell at the period of fertilizable maturity bears, be- 
sides the terminal carpogonial branch, two very richly rami- 
fied lateral branchlets, which coalesce closely, to form an 
elongated cell-complex, which pushes the carpogonial branch 
somewhat to one side. After fertilization the auxiliary cell 
then increases in size, and, conjugating with the nearest cells 
of that cell-complex, becomes developed into a large, branched, 
multinucleate cell, which bears, attached to its outer surface, 
numerous two- or three-celled sterile cell-filaments, the final 
ramifications of the cell-filaments of that cell-complex. Then 
at the superior free extremity of this conjugation-cell, which 
(so far as I could make out) is not here segmented off as an 
independent cell, several lateral branches sprout forth, one 
after the other, and these, ramifying abundantly, form a short 
stumpy tuft of sporigerous filaments. I have no doubt that 
similar processes will be observable in other Rhodomelee. 
Lastly, the Gigartinee (Gigartina, Chondrus) call for 
special notice. In these forms the single auxiliary cell be- 
comes itself the central cell of the spore-fruit. From its whole 
surface cell-filaments shoot forth in all directions like the rays 
of a star, and diffuse themselves, branching abundantly, in 
the surrounding thallus-tissue*. 
In Gigartina these branched filaments finally develop single 
naked carpospores from the individual cells of the filaments. 
In Chondrus, on the other hand, numerous cells of these fila- 
ments enter into close connexion with individual neighbouring 
cells of the sterile thallus-tissue by the formation of a pit, and 
then, from individual cells of these filaments by repeated divi- 
sion, there originate complexes, each consisting of four cells, 
which, for their part, give origin each to a naked carpospore. 
Consequently, even within so natural a group as the Gigar- 
* Hence the offshoots of the auxiliary cell in the present series of 
forms, the Ceramieze, Rhodomelez, Spherococceee, Rhodymeniex, Gigar- 
tine, and § V. appear perfectly analogous to the offshoots of the 
fertilized carpogonial cell, which are indicated in the preceding as ooblas- 
temas. It may therefore be advisable to contrast them as secondary 
ooblastemas or meta-ooblastemas with those primary ooblastemas. This 
appears to be particularly indicated if we regard (as I believe we are 
bound to do, see under § V.) the action of the fertilized carpogonial cell 
(7. e. the ooblastema-cell in Glwostphonia and other similar species) upon 
the auxiliary cell as a second act of fertilization, and interpret the fer- 
tilized auxiliary cell therefore also as a fertilized ovicell. 
