ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PEPTONE. 729 



peptones and albumoses are not wholly foreign substances to the circu- 

 lating blood. This conclusion cannot, however, be pushed too far, since 

 it is uncertain to what extent any given substance introduced into the cir- 

 culation is again recoverable from the urine, nor is it certain how long the 

 substances in question retain their identity after being so introduced. 



It is significant, however, in the light of Siegfried's work, that anti- 

 peptone remains in the system to a much greater extent than any of the 

 other substances employed. Some of the experiments were performed with 

 anti-peptone kindly supplied by Professor Siegfried, for which best thanks 

 are here expressed. 



The research is still in progress. 



Fertilisation in Phceophycece. — Report of the Committee, consisting of 

 Professor J. B. Farmer {Chairman), Professor E. W. Phillips 

 (Secretary), Professor F. 0. Bower, and Professor Harvey 

 Gibson. 



The Committee beg to report that they have again devoted the whole 

 of the 15^. placed at their disposal to aiding Mr. J. Lloyd Williams in the 

 prosecution of his researches on the Fucacece and Dictyotacece. Mr. 

 Williams's interesting discovery of the occurrence of motile antherozoids 

 in Dictyota and Taenia was announced to the Botanical Section at the 

 meeting at Toronto. A full description of these antherozoids has been 

 published in the 'Annals of Botany ' (December 1897). 



The following is a brief summary of the points to which Mr. Williams 

 has been directing his attention more particularly : — 



(1) The Fertilization and Cytology of Ascophyllum and Fucus. — This 

 investigation is in continuation of a joint research by Professor Farmer 

 and Mr. Williams on these genera, the results of which are in course of 

 publication in the ' Transactions of the Royal Society.' 



(2) The Process of Fertilization in Halidrys. — Certain remarkable 

 phenomena accompanying the act of fertilization have been observed in 

 Halidrys Siliquosa, a description of which will appear in the paper referred 

 to above. 



(3) The Zones of Growth and Periods of Maturation of the Sexual 

 Products in Fucacem. — Mr. Williams has subjected all the species of 

 Fucacese in the Menai Straits to a careful and continuous examination, 

 and his observations add greatly to our knowledge of what may be called 

 the Natural History of these species. 



(4) The Examination of the Sexual Cells in Dictyota and Taonia. — 

 The discovery of motility in the male sexual cells in these genera has 

 already been referred to. Further, the process of fertilization has now 

 been observed, the occurrence of parthenogenetic germination of the 

 oospheres confirmed, and an interesting discovery of a marked periodicity 

 in the maturation and liberation of the sexual cells in Dictyota has been 

 made. Upon this subject the Committee are glad to learn Mr. Williams 

 hopes to submit a paper to the Section at the forthcoming meeting at 

 Bristol. 



Since the last meeting of the Association, Mr. Williams has been 

 appointed Assistant Lecturer and Demonstrator in Botany at the Univer- 



