402 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
shaped and dark red spores (carpospores) form, which, as soon as 
they have attained a certain size become detached and pass‘into — 
the water through the orifice at the apex of the cystocarp. In 
this state they are perfectly capable of further development, 
and soon begin to germinate. 
Dr. Dodel-Port concludes his interesting paper with the 
following suggestive remarks:—“ The total absence of active 
organs of locomotion in the antherozoids of Floridee points to 
a common ancestor from which the different branches of the 
Floridee have inherited the immobility of the antherozoids. 
No doubt that during the differentiation of the red sea-weeds 
many forms have died out in consequence of the fertilisation not 
taking place through the passivity of the male cells, while 
other forms have retired to localities which through active water- 
currents favour the process of fertilisation in spite of the immo- 
bility of the antherozoids. It is now well known that most of 
the existing Floridee are found on the coasts of warmer seas 
which are constantly washed by the waves, while the northern 
coasts, which are covered by crusts of ice during a great portion 
of the year, are very poor in red sea-weeds. Future researches 
will show in many of these aquatic plants how far the 
differentiation of the genera took place in the sense of an adapta- 
tion to the small marine animals which inhabit them, and 
favour their fertilisation in the way pointed out. If many sea- 
weeds in their bushy shrub-like thallus harbour certain infusoria, 
bryozoa, hydre, sponges, crustacea, annelids, and small star- 
fishes, and afford them excellent hiding-places or nourishment, 
so that these animals inhabit them with special predilection, then 
it is certainly possible that occasionally a correlation was formed, 
or adaptation took place, which was mutually advantageous, and 
which would find numerous analogies in the domain of the multiple 
cross relations between the higher flowering plants and insects.’ 
In this sense it is considered a duty to submit to the criticism of 
biologists a point hitherto overlooked in the biology of red sea- 
weeds, and bearing upqn the explanation of the morphological 
differentiation of submerged aquatic plants.” 
