On the development of the Spores of Anthoceros Itevis. 91 



take place in one cellule from the organic transformation of 

 its contents, without the cellular wall exercising any influ- 

 ence whatever on their evolution. 



The observations on the Anthoceros appear to prove that 

 the truth holds the middle between these two theories. 

 The facts which have been exposed above, indicate that the 

 exterior of the mother-cellule is, long before its separation, 

 the theatre of an organic activity, manifesting itself on the 

 organisms, which change in a most varied manner. 



Besides the nucleus, which has no connexion with the 

 ulterior formation of the sporae, we find in this cellule a 

 mucilaginous, grumous organism, which assumes different 

 forms, giving birth to four amylaceous grains, and before 

 there is manifested the slightest trace of division of the 

 mother-cellule, has already determined the quaternary num- 

 ber of sporae, their relative position, and consequently also 

 their form. But it is extremely surprising that the posi- 

 tion and number of septa emanating from the wall of the 

 mother-cellule, should depend on the position which the 

 granular cellules assume in the mother-cellule, as we have 

 seen in the Anthoceros ; the form the most frequent which 

 the four granular cellules assume is tetrahedric, the same as 

 in a great number of Cryptogamae, which I have already 

 proved as far as the sporae are concerned ; and in this case six 

 septa always become manifest. But in the Anthoceros we 

 again find the exceptional case (which forms the rule in 

 many other Cryptogamae), that the four sporae are found 

 placed one beside the other on a peculiar plane, and in this 

 case there are only four septa formed. The relation of the 

 number of septa of the mother-cellule with the relative posi- 

 tion of the sporae is not astonishing, if the sporae were only 

 the result of the mechanical division of the contents of the 

 mother-cellule, or if in free space, the membranes of the 

 sporae first become manifest, and that between them mem- 

 branes were formed which had applied themselves to the 



