. 
1903 | GAMETOPHYTES AND EMBRYO OF TAXODIUM 25 
may or may not intersect the outer wall of the cell. Inthis way 
outer and inner cells are frequently formed (fig. 66), but two dis- 
tinct tiers extending across the neck are never present. Figs. 
66, 93, 96 show the diversity that may occur in the neck. The 
cells are of unequal size and the number may vary from two to 
sixteen or even more. Very soon after their last division the 
neck cells begin to disorganize. They contain starch until the 
beginning of their disorganization, which takes place somewhat 
sooner here than in the jacket cells. /%g. 66 shows an arche- 
gonium in which this disorganization is proceeding. There are 
present at the tip of the protoplasm of the central cell a number 
of bodies staining deep red with safranin, which may easily be 
mistaken for fragments of a disorganizing ventral canal nucleus. 
The last division, however, has not occurred in the central cell, 
and these bodies are probably the transferred remains of the 
broken-up nuclei of the neck cells. They are the first such 
bodies to appear in the archegonium, and in this stage are very 
conspicuous as a cap at its tip. This early transfer of nutrient 
material from the neck cells is probably explained by the 
advantage to be gained in having this transfer completed before 
fertilization has disturbed the relations between neck and central 
cell. 
The jacket cells around the archegonia generally contain two 
nuclei each at this time (jigs. 67-69), but this condition may be 
reached sooner. About the time that the ventral canal nucleus is 
cut off, the nuclei of the jacket cells begin to disorganize in the 
way already described in Cycas by Ikeno (’98) and in Ceratoza- 
mia by Arnoldi (00). The network and the nucleoli resolve 
themselves into a number of deeply staining bodies, which by 
the disorganization of the nuclear walls come to lie free in the 
cytoplasm (figs. 71~-74). 
Immediately before fertilization there begin to appear in the 
cytoplasm of the egg the proteid vacuoles described in species 
of Abieteae. Such vacuoles are shown in fig. 75 and have the 
Same structure that has been described in other cases, but they 
are not very conspicuous or abundant in Taxodium. Arnoldi 
(00) believes these vacuoles to originate in some cases from the 
