124 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [AUGUST 
less grouped, but frequently scattered in no definite position. 
They were not found to be definitely located near the point of 
contact between the two nuclei as described by Blackman (’98) 
and Chamberlain (’99). The fusion nucleus begins to move to 
the base of the archegonium, and its male and female elements 
can be easily distinguished until the base is nearly reached (fig. 
706). This passing of the fusion nucleus to the base of the 
archegonium before division occurs has been described by Stras- 
burger (’79, ’84) in Juniperus and by Jager (’00) in Taxus. 
The partition between the two nucleidoes notentirely disappear 
until immediately before the first division. zg. 779 represents 
the two nuclei just after the disappearance of the separat- 
ing wall. The parts derived from each are still distinct, the 
denser part being the male. The reticulum of the sperm nucleus 
is arranged in a more or less radiating way, and that of the egg 
is also becoming thus arranged. The large plastin nucleolus of 
the egg nucleus may be found in all stages of fusion. In addi- 
tion to the reticulum and plastin nucleolus there are also present 
numbers of chromatin nucleoli in each half of the nucleus. The 
spindle of the first division is derived entirely from the reticulum 
of the fusion nucleus. 
The structure of the male or sperm cell of Taxodium and its 
behavior during fertilization are worthy of especial emphasis. 
The presence of large quantities of starch around its nucleus and 
the transfer of this starch, together with its protoplasm, to form 
a distinct layer around the egg nucleus, which later becomes 
separated from the protoplasm of the egg in the base of the 
archegonium to form the greater part of the young embryo, are 
peculiarities not as yet described in any other organism, and 
they seem of sufficient interest to receive attention in any com- 
parative study of sexual cells. 
All observers who have studied fertilization in the gym- 
nosperms seem agreed that the male nucleus slips from its proto- 
plasmic sheath as it approaches the egg nucleus and leaves it 
behind near the point of entrance. If the case is as they think, 
Taxodium is an exception here. 
In his well-known work on chromatophores, leucoplasts, etc., 
