OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 5/ 



the pteridophytes. An explanation was made of the words micro- 

 spore and macrospore, and the homology of the microspore with 

 the pollen of flowering plants shown. The talk concluded with a 

 comparison of the protonema of mosses with the prothallium of 

 ferns, and a definition of the terms antheridium and archegonium. 

 Adjourned to April 4th. 



Tuesday evening, April 4th. Regular meeting, the Vice Pres- 

 ident in the chair. There being no business to transact the sec- 

 tion gave attention to a concluding talk on the unity of the vege- 

 table kingdom. After an explanation of the words heterospory 

 and homospory, a presentation was made of the homologies of 

 pteridophytes and spermaphytes. The pollen-tube was shown to 

 be the male gametophyte or antheridium and the endosperm with 

 ovum or ova the female gametophyte or archegonium, so that the 

 essential parts of the flower, i. e., the stamens and pistils, answer 

 to the essential reproductive organs in the lower sub-kingdoms. 

 The flower having thus been approached from the inside, instead 

 of from the outside as usual, the study of its plan, parts, variations 

 and special adaptations might now properly claim attention. 



Adjourned to April nth. 



Tuesday evening, April i ith. Regular meeting, th6 Vice Pres- 

 ident in the chair. The resignation of the President, Mrs. Alberta 

 A. McLeod, was read and accepted. 



The subject of Mr. Batchelder's talk was the "Plan of the 

 Flower." The terms sporophyll, microsporophyll and macro- 

 sporophyll having been explained, it was shown that the stamens 

 are a whorl of microsporophylls and the pistils a whorl of macro- 

 sporophylls, i. e., leaves altered for purposes of reproduction. 

 The stonecrop being selected as a typical flower the succession of 

 four whorls of altered leaves was described as follows : An inner 

 whorl of five leaves which are really microsporophylls, i. e., there 

 are five pistils ; next, another whorl of five leaves which are really 

 microsporophylls, i. e., there are five stamens ; next, a whorl of 

 five colored leaves- — supposed to be modified especially to attract 

 insects — i. e., there are five petals ; finally, an outer whorl of five 

 leaves which are chlorophyllous like ordinary leaves and serve for 



