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Some Anomalies in the Female Gametophyte of Pinus. 



By D. M. Mother. 



The object of this note is to call attention to some peculiarities in 

 the number and arrangement of archegonia and to certain other anomalies 

 similar in character to those reported for the same and other species of 

 Pinus. In her excellent and elaborate paper on the life history, etc., of 

 Pinus, Miss Ferguson has directed attention to a number (9) of archegonia 

 arranged along the top and sides of the endosperm of Pinus montana un- 

 cinata, together with other peculiarities regarding the number, origin and 

 position in other species (Proc. Washiogton Acad. Sci., 6: 1-202, 1904). 



In the work of a class of advanced students studying the gametophyte 

 and embryogeny of Pinus, a number of peculiarities mentioned in the fol- 

 lowing have been found to be of rather frequent occurrence. In P'mus 

 austriaca (a form of P. laricio frequently cultivated), several instances 

 were observed in which a group of archegonia occurred at the chalazal 

 end of the endosperm in addition to the group normally at the top or 

 micropylar end. In addition to this a few cases were found in which a 

 third group of archegonia was present at one side. Among those ovules 

 in which a group of archegonia was present at either end, one case is 

 especially of note in which a total of eleven archegonia was present, 

 two near the micropylar and nine at the chalazal end of the gametophyte. 

 The two near the micropylar end were not directly at the top but at oppo- 

 site sides of that end. The nine at the chalazal end were arranged in 

 groups of three each. One group of three was at the end, the others be- 

 ing more deeply seated. The second three were just beyond the first and 

 a little to the right, while the third group was beyond the second, though 

 somewhat to the left. In the majority of cases here under consideration 

 the collections were made before the archegonia were mature, the ventral 

 canal cells not having been formed. Four of the archegonia near the 

 chalazal end had fused in pairs, a cytoplasmic union having taken place 

 at the contiguous sides. This was made possible by the absorption of 

 several sheath, or jacket, cells separating the archegonia. The three 



