go BOTANICAL GAZETTE [AUGUST 
by the discharge of its contents, may occur at some distance 
from the female nucleus or nearly in contact with it. When the 
sperm nucleus is liberated it assumes an oval shape as it 
migrates toward the female (fig. 36). 
The male is much the smaller when the nuclei first come 
in contact, although at this time it is larger than an ordinary 
vegetative nucleus. Fusion does not occur at once, but the 
nuclei lie together, imbedded in the remains of the coenocen- 
trum. This period of rest must be of considerable duration, 
since the stage is found in great abundance, and the oosphere 
wall develops perceptibly at this time. During this period of 
quiescence the male nucleus enlarges until it eventually equals 
the female in size (figs. 37, 38) or nearly so. Fusion then 
occurs, both nuclei being in resting condition. An increase in 
the number of degenerating nuclei occurs in the oosphere simul- 
taneously with the opening of the antheridial tube. This is 
quite evidently due to supernumerary antheridial nuclei which are 
clearly introduced (fig. 37). These nuclei, although some of 
them appear perfectly normal, at length degenerate and even- 
tually dissolve, since only one nucleus is to be found when the 
fusion is complete. There is no evidence of a general fusion 
such as is described by Hartog (1891) and Golenkin (1900). 
This species presents a clear case of the presence of fertilized 
and unfertilized nuclei in the same cytoplasm, and _ illustrates 
the inability of the unfertilized nuclei to survive these condi- 
tions. 
Before the accumulation of food advances far, the fusion 
nucleus divides, presenting a nuclear figure which is enormous 
in comparison with those in the oogonium and oosphere (/g- 
go). As these divisions succeed one another, the nuclei 
decrease in size, so that those of the winter spore are about the 
size of the vegetative nucleus, and are probably about thirty or 
forty in number (fig. 47). Wager (1896) estimated the num- 
ber in A. candida to be thirty-two. In ripening the spore exhib- 
its those changes in wall and contents which characterize the 
other members of this group. 
