1899 ] BRIEFER ARTICLES 427 
In both cases the spores when young are spherical, and when mature 
the former are oval, the latter pyriform. 
The axis consists of three structural parts: (1) a more or less dis- 
tinct outer portion, of irregular basal cells from which the hairs origi- 
nate; (2) a belt of interlacing cellular fibers most of which run 
longitudinally in the axis; these fibers are connected either to certain 
hair clusters by basal cells, or in some cases to a single long hair; 
there are frequent oblique or transverse fibers among the longitudinal ; 
(3) the innermost portion of the axis consisting of an interlacing mass 
of cellular fibers running in all directions; these are connections or 
continuations of the outer longitudinal and transverse fibers. 
Each hair cell contains greenish, disk-shaped chromatophores, 
and a distinct nucleus. There is also a distinct protoplasmic connec- 
tion between the cells through the center of each cell partition. 
The fibers near the outer edge of the axis, especially those directly 
connected to the hairs by basal cells, contain chlorophyll bodies more 
or less irregular in shape, and show in many Cases intercellular proto- 
plasmic connections similar to those in the hairs. The intercellular 
walls of the internal fibers are often oblique, but are always transverse 
in the enlarged portions. Towards the center of the axis chlorophyll 
bodies become rarer, and in some fibers entirely disappear. Se 
We found, also, in the outer portion of the axis certain longitudinal 
fibers, which show no chlorophyll bodies, and whose protoplasmic oon 
tents seem to be homogenous. Cell partitions in these ar 
lacking or at considerable distances apart.’ 
sionally, and are connected in a few cases to basal cells of hair clusters. 
Others are united to the oblique or transverse fibers. In sections 
which had been treated on the slide with acid alcohol to remove the. 
gelatinous sheaths, and first stained for two or three hours with a 
orseillin, then with methyl green or echtgriin for one — 
fibers were differentiated from the others, the cell contents Se 
We are unable to assign any particular function ; 
than that they a eer of the assimilative mee em the 
Plant. The hairs are both vegetative and reproductive He - : 
According to Schmidle, Thorea has three distinct gee . 
Stages of growth. The first, or prothallium stage, consists : vie 
less branched cellular fibers which develop directly from the sp ens 
We found plants in this stage, but found.neither spores nor tetrasp 
