A: Henfrey on the Higher Cryptogamous Plants. 385 
_ to take place in the so-called ovules, through the agency of the 
spiral filaments or spermatozoa. 
The main points of his paper may be briefly summed up as 
follows. The fern spore at first produces a filamentous process, 
in the end of which cell-development goes on until it is converted 
into a Marchantia-like frond of small size and exceedingly deli- 
cate texture, possessing hair-like radicle-hairs on its under side. 
On this under side become developed, in variable numbers, cer- 
tain cellular organs of two distinct kinds. The first, which he 
terms antheridia, are the more numerous, and consist of some- 
what globular cells, seated on and arising from single cells of the 
cellular marchantia-like frond. The globular cell produces in its 
interior a number of minute vesicles, in each of which is devel- 
oped a spiral filament, coiled up in the interior. At a certain 
epoch the globular cell bursts and discharges the vesicles, and the 
Spiral filaments moving within the vesicles at length make their 
Way out of them and swim about in the water, displaying a spiral 
or heliacal form, and consisting of a delicate filament with a 
thickened clavate extremity; this, the so-called head, being said 
by Count Suminski to be a hollow vesicle, and to be furnished 
With six or eight cilia, by means of which the apparently volun- 
+, Jary movement of the filament is supposed to be eflecte : 
is The second kind of organ, the so-called ‘ovules,’ are fewer in 
; umber and present different characters in different stages. At 
Ae +, first they appear as little round cavities in the cellular tissue of 
©." the firo-embryo, lying near its centre and opening on the under 
Side. # In the bottom of the cavity is seen a little globular cell, 
d by Count Suminski that _ 
enlarged in si one multiplication, and in the course 
ged in size and undergon jen pelinang he setae 
1 the terminal bud whence the regular fern stem 1s developed. 
In considering the import of these phenomena, the author as- 
Sumes the analogy here to be wit 
flowering plants as described 
duction of the embryo from the vesicular head of the spermatozoa 
