264 



MORPHOLOG y. 



point. A 

 outer wall 



Spores of 

 moved from t]' 



the early 

 and there 



Fig. 3of. 



spleniuni ; exospore re 



spore of the Christmas fern is shown in fis- 299. The 

 here is more or less winged. At fig. 300 is a spore 

 of the same species from which the 

 outer wall has been crushed, showing 

 that there is an inner wall also. If 

 possible we should study the germi- 

 nation of the spores of some fern. 



552. Germination of the spores. 

 — After the s])ores have been sown for 

 about one week to ten days we should 

 mount a few in water for examination 

 one at the right. with tlic microscope in order to study 



stages. If germination has begun, we find that here 

 are short slender green threads, in many cases attached 



to brownish bits, the old 

 walls of the spores. 

 ( )ften one will sow the 

 s|)orangia along with the 

 spores, and in such cases 

 there may be found a 

 muiibcr of spores still 

 within the old sporan- 

 gium wall that are ger- 

 minating, when they will 

 appear as in fig. 302. 



553. Protonema. — 

 These short green threads 

 lire called proliinemal threads, or protonema, 

 which means a first thread, and it here 

 signifies that this short thread only pre- 

 cedes a larger growth of the same object. 

 In figs. 302, 303 are shown several stages of 

 gernnnation of dilTerent spores. Soon after 

 pores of f'""-' ^liort geriu tube emerges from the 

 till m II"-- ^.fg^^.|;_ j,) ^]-,(J spore wall, it divides by the 



