IIo BOTANICAL GAZETTE [FEBRUARY 
an indication of the presence of a blepharoplast and whether the 
“‘sperm”’ is actually motile, I hope to be able to ascertain during 
the coming spring. The division probably occurs in the latter part 
of February and in the part of the tube outside of the nucellus. 
During this time the pollen tube has advanced through the 
nucellar tissues in a more or less irregular and branching course. 
When it reaches the upper part of the female gametophyte it usually 
turns aside from the apex, which is protected by a cap of crus 
nucellar cells, and creeps laterally along the surface of the gameto- 
phyte until it reaches the narrow opening leading down to one of the 
archegonia, down which it descends to the neck of the archegonium. 
Here it becomes perforated. The “sperm’’ passes through the 
opening and crowds the neck cells of the archegonium apart without 
destroying them, and plunges down into the egg so vigorously as to 
leave a very distinct wake behind it in the cytoplasm. Fertilization 
occurs in the latter part of March or first week or two of April. 
Discussion 
It is not proposed at this time to enter into any general discussion 
regarding the broader questions that prompted the investigation, 
but to let that await the issue of further investigation of other 
phases of the life history of this species and of the other three species 
of which material is available. However, it may not be amiss to 
point out that this added information concerning the male gameto- 
phyte goes far toward inducing a belief in the primitive condition 
of the araucarians. It certainly strengthens the resemblance to the 
podocarps and tends to increase our confidence in their genetic 
connection. Barring the abnormally large ‘‘sperms” of Araucaria 
and the greater number of prothallial nuclei, its male gametophyte 
exhibits an almost identical structure even in small details wi 
that of the Podocarpineae. On the contrary, it is clear that the 
type of male gametophyte found in these two tribes is essentially 
different from that found in Cupressus Goveniana (10) and Juniperus 
communis (14). In these we have a multiplication of spermatoge- 
nous cells, which may be induced, as has been suggested, by the 
opportunity for more than one sperm to function, but in any case 
is doubtless a reversion to an ancient habit (10, 14). This view 
