348 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [NOVEMBER 
nucleus by a wall had yet been observed, and he merely followed 
current terminology. The term ventral canal nucleus was introduced 
by CoKER (3) in 1902 to describe the condition in Podocarpus. IKENO’s 
figures show that no wall is formed between the ventral canal nucleus 
and that of the egg. WEBBER (24) soon afterward reported that in 
Zamia ‘“‘a small cell is cut off at the apex of the archegonium,” but 
here too the language is unfortunate, for no cell is cut off, and the 
ventral canal nucleus remains in the general cytoplasm of the egg, as 
shown by Courter and CHAMBERLAIN (5). I have recently made 
preparations of Encephalartos showing the same condition. It is 
probable that no ventral canal cell is cut off in any of the cycads, 
there being merely a nuclear division. 
It cannot be doubted that this represents an advanced stage in the 
reduction of the archegonium. It offers no exception to the method 
by which the row of neck canal cells of the bryophytes and pterido- 
phytes has been reduced. In these groups binucleate neck canal 
cells are frequent. This means that the formation of a cell wall has 
failed to follow the nuclear division. The next stage in reduction 
would be the suppression of the mitosis, and thus a diminution in 
the number of neck canal cells. In this way the neck canal cells grad- 
ually become reduced in number, some pteridophytes showing only a 
single one. In gymnosperms there is no neck canal cell at all, and 
the ventral canal cell is being eliminated by the same process. In 
some genera, like Pinus, the ventral canal cell is separated from the egg 
by a wall. In other genera the nuclear division takes place, some- 
times with a series of granules on the spindle indicating a rudimentary 
cell plate, but no wall is formed. In Torreya it seems likely that even 
the ventral canal nucleus is suppressed. The absence of a yentral 
canal nucleus has been reported for several genera, but the evidence 
is not conclusive. Dioon, Zamia, Cycas, and Encephalartos still 
preserve the mitosis, although the wall is no longer formed. In this 
particular, although the oldest of living gymnosperms, the cy cads 
do not show as primitive a condition as do Pinus and some other 
Coniferales. 
After the mitosis described above, the ventral canal nucleus forms 
a membrane and may enlarge slightly, but it soon disorganizes, So that 
at the time of fertilization a scarcely recognizable vestige remains. 
