45' 



NATURE 



{Sept. 9, iSSg 



— After giving illustrations of the present chaotic state of cryp- 

 tojamic terminology, the authors proceed to state that the object 

 they have kept in view is to arrive at a system which shall be 

 symmetrical and in accordance %vith the state of knowledge, and 

 which shall at the same time interfere as little as possible with 

 existing terms. A few new terms are introduced, but the total 

 number is greatly reduced. 



In the fourth edition of his " Lehrbuch " Sachs defines a 

 "spore" as "a reproductive cell produced directly or indirectly 

 by an act of fertilisation," reserving the term "gonidium" for 

 those reproductive cells which are produced without any previous 

 act of impregnation. The practical objections to this limitation 

 of terms are pointed out, and it is proposed to restore the term 

 spore to what has been in the main hitherto its ordinary significa- 

 tion, viz., any cdl produced by ordinary processes of vegetation, and 

 not by a tinion of sexual elements, which becomes detached for 

 the purpose of direct vegetative reproduction. The spore may be 

 the result of ordinary cell-division or of free cell-formation. In 

 certain cases [zoospores) its first stage is that of a naked mass of 

 protoplasm ; in rare instances it is multicellular, breaking up 

 into a number of cells [polysporcs, composed of merispores, or 

 breaking up into sporidia). Throughout thallophytes the term 

 is used in the form of one of numerous compounds expressive of 

 the special character of the organ in the class iu question. Thus, 

 in the protophyta and mucorini we have chlamydospores ; in the 

 my.xomycetes, sporangiospores ; in the peronosporeae, conidio- 

 spores; in the saprolegaiea;, oophycerB, and some zygophycea:, 

 zoospores ; in the uredinex, teleutospores, cecidiospores, uredospores, 

 awA sporidia ; in the h:is\iioTayc.e\.e?,, basidiospores ; in the asco- 

 mycetes (including lichenes), conidiospores, stylospores, ascospores, 

 folyspores, and merispores ; in the hydrodictyea:, megaspores ; in 

 the desmidie:e, auxosporcs ; in the volvocinea: and mesocarpece, 

 parthenospores ; in the siphonese and botrydiece, hypnosporis ; in 

 the redogoniacece, androspores ; in the florideje, tetrasports and 

 octospores. The cell in which the spores are formed is in all 

 cases a sporangium. 



In the terminology of the male fecundating organs very little 

 change is necessary. The cell or more complicated structure in 

 which tlie male element is formed is uniformly termed an 

 anthcridiuin, the ciliated fecundating bodies antherozoids (in 

 preference to " spermatozoids "). In the floridea; and lichenes, 

 the fecundating bodies are destitute of vibratile cilia ; in the former 

 case they are still usually termed "antherozoids," in the latter 

 "spermatia," and their receptacles " spermogonia." In order 

 to mark the difference in structure from true antherozoids, it is 

 proposed to designate these motionless bodies in both cases 

 poUinoids ; the term " spermogonium " is altogether unnecessary, 

 the organ being a true antheridium. 



A satisfactory terminology of the female reproductive organs 

 presents greater difficulties. The limits placed to the use of the 

 term spore and its compounds require the abandonmcLt of 

 "oospore" for the fertilised oosphere in its encysted stage 

 anterior to its segmentation into the embryo. The authors 

 propose the syllable sperm as the basis of the various terms 

 applied to all those bodies which are the immediate result of 

 impregnation. It is believed that it will be found to supply the 

 basis of a symmetrical system of terminology which will go far 

 to redeem the confusion that at present meets the student at the 

 outset of his researches. For the unfertilised female protoplasmic 

 mass, it is proposed to retain the term oosphere, and to establish 

 from it a corresponding series of terms ending iu sphere. The 

 entire female organ before fertilisation, whether unicellular or 

 multicellular, is designated by a set of terms ending in gonium. 



In the zygomycetes and zygophycea;, the conjugated zy^o- 

 spheres, or contents of the zygogonia, constitute a zygosperm ; in 

 the oomycetes and oophycea: the fertilised oosphere, or contents 

 of the oogonium, is an oosperm; in the carpophycere the fer- 

 tilised carposphere, or contents of the carpogonium, constitutes a 

 carposperm. In this last class the process is complicated, being 

 effected by means of a special female organ which may be called 

 the trichogonium (in preference to " trichogyne "). The ultimate 

 result of impregnation is the production of a mass of tissue 

 known as the eystocarp (or " sporocarp "), within which are 

 produced the germinating bodies whicli must be designated car- 

 pospores, since tliey are not the direct results of fertilisation. In 

 the carpomycetes no similar process is at present known. Any 

 one of these bodies which remains in a dormant condition for a 

 time before germinating is a hypnosperm. In the cormophytes 

 (characecc, muscinea;, and vascular cryptogams) the fertilised 

 archesphere, or contents of the archegonium, is an archcsperm. 

 In the basidiomycetes, ascomycetes, and some other classes, it 



is proposed to substitute the term fructification for " receptacle,'' 

 for the entire non-sexual gener.ation which bears the spores. 



In the discussion which followed. Prof. RoUeston and Prof. 

 I. B. Balfour took part, the latter objecting to the proposed 

 alterations in classification and terminology in several points, 

 lie believes all the schizomycetes to be degraded ascomycetes, 

 and prefers Sachs' classification of the vascular cryptogams. He 

 also objected to the use of the term "sperm" in the sense 

 proposed. 



Further Remarks on the Mollusca of the Mediterranean, by J. 

 Gwyn Jeffreys, LL.D., F.R.S.— At the Bradford Meeting of 

 the Association in 1873 I made some remarks on the Mollusca 

 of the Mediterranean, and gave a list of those species which had 

 not yet been noticed as Atlantic, being then 222 in number. 

 Since that time many of the species have been discovered in the 

 Atlantic, or been ascertained to be varieties of other well-known 

 Atlantic species. This list will be found in pages 113 to 115 of 

 the Report. I will now give a list of those Mediterranean 

 species which are also Atlantic, or varieties of other species, on 

 tlie authority of the Marquis de Monterosato, the Marquis de 

 Folin, Dr. Fischer, the Rev. Mr. Watson, and myself. 



Brachiopoda. — Argiope cordata, Risso ; Thecidium mediler- 

 rancum, Risso. CONCHIFERA. — Pleuroncctia Icevis, Jeffreys, a 

 monstrosity of Pecten similis ; Mytilus minimus. Poll; Nucula 

 convexa, J. = Z. ceegensis, Forbes, young ; Leda oblonga, J. = 

 L. micrometrica, Seguenza ; L. subrotunda, J. = Z. minima, 

 Seg. ; Solcnella cuneata, J. (Malletia) ; Venus cygnus, Lamarck 

 = V. nux, Gmelin ; Pecchiolia insculpta, J. (Veriicordia). 

 Gastropoda. — Emarginula adriatica, O. G. Costa ; Trochus 

 scabrosus, J. = T. gemmulatus, Philippi ; Fossarus costatus, 

 Brocchi ; Rissoa caribeea, D'Orbigny ; R. rudis. Ph. ; R. viader- 

 ensis, J. ; Civciim chiereghinianum, Brusina = C. glabntm, 

 Montagu, variety ; Vermetus triquetra, Bivona ; Scala)-ia can- 

 trainei, Weinkauff; Odostomia polita, Biv. ; O. iricincta, J.; 

 0. fasciata, Forb. ; Fulima microstoma, Brus. ; F. jeffreysiana, 

 Brus. ; Natica dilhuynii, Payraudeau; N. marmorata, H. Adams; 

 Solarium pseudoperspeclivuvi, Brc. ; Xenophora mediterranea, 

 Tiberi ; Cerithium costatum. Da Costa ; C, elegans, De Blain- 

 ville ; Triton seguenzte, Aradas and Benoit = T. nodifer. Lam., 

 var. ; Laehcsis folineir (Delle Chiaje) Ph. ; Cassidaria echino- 

 phora, Linne ; probably C. iyrrhena, Chemnitz, is a variety ; 

 Defrancia hystrix, De Cristofori and Jan. ; Pletirotonia pusilla, 

 Scacchi = P. multilincolata, Deshayes, var. ; Cyprtva physis, 

 lire. ? Utriculus striatulus, J. ; Akera fragilis, J. ; Diphyllidia 

 lineata. Otto ; D. pustulosa, Sc. Total 41 species. 



This reduces the number of supposed exclusively Mediter- 

 ranean species from 222 to iSl ; and it must be borne in mind 

 that the Atlantic Nudibranchs and Cephalopods have never been 

 completely worked out. Philippi's list of Mediterranean Nudi- ■ 

 branchs and Verany's list of Mediterranean Cephalopods amount 

 to 58 out of the above residue of iSl. When further researches 

 by dredging have been made in the North Atlantic, I believe 

 the difference between the Mollusca in that extensive ocean and 

 in the Mediterranean will be still more diminished, if it do not 

 in time altogether disappear. 



THE MEETING OF THE IRON AND STEEL 



INSTITUTE AT DUSSELDORF 

 'T'lIE recent meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute at 

 DUsseldorf was peculiarly interesting, as illustrating the 

 international char.-i.cter of the Society, and also because of the 

 opportunity which it afforded to English members of studying 

 German workshops and methods of manufacture. The paper.s 

 which were read were mostly by German authors, and dealt with 

 many subjects of importance to those intere-ted in the manu- 

 facture of iron and steel. Many of them were of too technical a 

 cliaracter to be noticed at length in these pages, but as an excep- 

 tion we may mention the paper on " The Dephosphorisation of 

 Iron in the Converter," by Herr J. Massenez of Hoerde in 

 Westphalia. 



This sul)ject has received great attention at the recent meetings 

 of the Institute, but not more so than its importance deserves. 

 We referred at length to the basic process of dephosphorising 

 pig iron, when reviewing the proceedings at the spring meeting, 

 and the paper now before us contains a most satisfactory record 

 of results since attained, together with much valuable informa- 

 tion as to the chemical changes which take place during the 

 conversion. The metliod is best known by the names of the 



