1897 | CURRENT LITERATURE 391 
Mr. EDWARD C. JEFFREY, of the University of Toronto, makes some 
preliminary announcements™ in respect to the prothallus of Botrychium Vir- 
ginianum that are of interest. He has been fortunate enough to obtain 
several hundred specimens in various stages of development, and thinks that 
he can soon fill in the gaps in our knowledge of the life history of this plant. 
The full account of the development of the gametophyte is to appear shortly 
in the Transactions of the Canadian Institute. 
The largest prothalli were 18™" long. They are monoecious, the anthe- 
ridia being found upon well defined median ridges, and the archegonia upon 
their sloping sides. An abundant endophytic fungus, similar to a sterile 
Pythium, is common in the oil bearing tissue on the ventral side of the pro- 
thallus. It makes its way from the prothallus to the exterior through the 
root hairs. 
Mr. Jeffrey confirms Campbell’s account of the endogenous structure of 
the antheridia. A superficial cell divides by a periclinal wall into an outer 
and an inner cell. The latter gives rise to a mass of spermatozoid mother 
cells. The spermatozoids are of the usual fern type, spiral in form an 
remarkably large. The archegonium has a long neck made up of four tiers 
of cells, and projects above the surface of the prothallus. There are points 
in its development and internal structure that remind one of Marattia. 
The oospore divides into octants after the usual manner, but Mr. Jeffrey 
has been unable to derive the root, stem and first leaf (“cotyledon”) from 
definite octants. The “ cotyledon” appears above ground the first year, and 
after that one leaf is put forth each season. Prothalli have been found 
attached to six year old sporophytes, which illustrates the great longevity of 
the gametophyte. It is not unusual to find two sporophytes attached to a 
single prothallus.— B. M. 
JEFFREY, E.C. The gametophyte of Botrychium Virginianum. Proc. Cana- 
dian Institute, 1 1896. 
