384 A. Henfrey on the Higher Cryptogamous Plants. 
duce a sporangium alone, in which the new spores are developed, 
without the intervention of the stage of existence presented by 
the pro-embryo of the Ferns and Equisetacee, whese the pistillidia 
and antheridia occur upon a temporary frond, and the former give 
origin to the regular stem and leaves of the plant 
Ferns.—This class formed for a long time the great stumbling- 
block to those who sought to demonstrate the existence 0 
ality in the Cryptogamous plants. The young capsules were 
generally considered to be the analogues of the pistillidia of the 
mosses, and the young abortive capsules which frequently occur 
among the fertile ones were supposed by some authors to repre- 
sent the antheridia. Mr. Griffith,* shortly before his death, no- 
ticed a structure which he was inclined to regard as the analogue 
of the antheridium in certain of the ramenta upon the petioles. 
In the year 1844, Prof. Nagelit published an account of his 
observations on the germination of certain ferns, and announced 
the discovery of moving spiral filaments closely resembling.those 
of the Chare, on certain cellular structures developed upon the 
pro-embryo or cellular body first produced by the spore. It is 
not worth while to enter into an analysis of his observations, as 
they have since been clearly shown to have been very imperfect; 
it is sufficient to state that he only described one kind of organ, 
and from his description it is evident that he confounded the tWO 
kinds since discovered, regarding them as different stages of one » 
But an essay published by the Count Suminskit ighgl848, tos 
tally changed the face of the question, and opened’a wide field 
for speculation and investigation on this subject, just as it was 
beginning to fall into disfavor. Count Suminski’s paper gives a 
_ * Posthumous Papers, Journal of Travels, 444. 
+ Zeitschrift fiir Wiss. Botanik. Heft 1. Zurich, 1844. 
 } Zur Entwickelungsgeschichte der Farrenkrauter. _ lin, 1848. 
