3CXXV1U PROCEEDINGS, JULY. 



terminal or lateral. If terminal, the pedicel of the capsule will proceed 

 from the apex of the stem ; if lateral, the pedicel will proceed from the 

 side of the stem. In some of the genera the fruit is embedded in "the 

 frond. Usually the fruit of Hevaticce may be known by the pellucid 

 cellular fruit-stalk, with four brown radiating arms at the tip of the 

 stalk. It generally consists of an involucre, a perianth, a calyptra, and 

 a capsule. The involucre is a few elongated and sometimes lobed leaves, 

 and in most cases the 2^&'>^iunth may be observed within these. The 

 perianth is an erect, tubular, or inflated sheath ; is sometimes com- 

 pressed, and is frequently angled or keeled. The mouth of the 2'>e.rianth 

 may be contracted, dilated, entire, or lobed, these nistinctions being in 

 many cases specific characters. Within the penan^A the transparent 

 oblong or globose calyptra will be seen if the fruiting is sufficiently 

 advanced, and here at the hase of the fruit stalk it remains, not 

 ascending with the capsule as in Mosses. Of all the fruiting 

 organs in Hepaticce, this alone is never absent. As the 

 capsule ripens, it bursts the calyptra, and is carried through it 

 and upwards as a small blackish ball at the tip of the pellucid stem, 

 and when ripe it bursts into four valves in most species. The ccqoside 

 then appears as a small brown cross. The capsule contains innumerable 

 spores, mixed up with long spiral threads called elcders ; when the 

 capsule bursts, these elaterstwisc about and throws the spores to some 

 distance. Elaters are never found in the fruit o Mosses. The female 

 inflorescence cr archegonicc consist of minute and slender flagon shaped 

 bodies with long tubular necks, within each there is one solitary loose 

 cell. One of these becoming fertilised, it eventually ripens into the 

 calyptrct above described, the loose cell becoming the capsule. The 

 male inflorescence or antherklia are very minute pedicelled sacs on the 

 same or on diff'erent plants from those containing the archegonia they 

 are usually solitary on the axils of modified (■ptrigonial) leaves, which 

 sometimes occupy proper branchlets. The fruit of the Fronclose 

 Hepaticce is somewhat different. In the Marchantia for instance, the 

 involucre, perianth, and capsule are contained on the surface. These 

 will be familiar to most persons as small green stalked knobs growing 

 from leafy expansions on wet rocks or stumps. The gemmce contained 

 in the frondose expansions, and before alluded to, are themselves repro- 

 ductive. 



Mr. A. J. Taylor thought Mr. Bastow had followed up his valuable 

 work on Tasmanian Mosses very well indeed in the paper just read, 

 which would also be of great assistance to students. The drawings 

 accompanying the paper were a credit both to Mr. Bastow and The 

 Mercury office. 



Mr. Johnston considered the paper a very valuable continuation of 

 the work Mr. Bastow placed before the Society last session. Those 

 who knew nothing whatever of Hepatics must have gained something 

 from the reading of such a valuable paper. With the plates and key a 

 simple way was furnished by which even children could be led forward 

 to understand and converse pleasantly upon that singular group of 

 plants. Papers such as those written by xMr. Bastow would have been 

 of great value to him when first he came to the colony, as he had, in a 

 measure, to construct his own handbook as he went along. 



Mr. A. Mault praised the paper for its completeness and elaboration, 

 and thanked the writer for the insight he had given to a very interest- 

 ing branch of natural science. In these days, when the population of 

 the country was constantly drawn to the town forming the danger of 

 our cultivation, nothing would counterbalance it so much as the 

 encouragement of such interesting studies as Mr. Bastow had under- 

 taken. 



Mr. A. Morton placed a high value upon such papers, and thought 



