a sort of mucilage;, t]^s finally swells up, forces the cells of the neck 

 apart,, and is expelled to aid in attracting and retaining the anthero- 

 isoid; at tte necS of the areh'6fgoninm. The oo8;^her6 i'a thus left 

 exposed'.' 



^ Feriilization. — The antherozoids, analogous to pollen of flpwers, 

 •when discharged' from the antheridium, swim in , the moisture always 

 present on the under surface of the prothallus, swarm in large 

 nniaiktA aroUlid the necik of the archegoniiim, arid are retained by the 

 nSioil'age. Some finally force their w^y into the canal of the neck, a 

 fistir reaching the oosphei'e and disappearing within its suhstance.. 

 Thus it woum' Seem proved that in ferns there exitets a true sexual 

 generaltio'n. Aftei? fertilisation, the neck of the archegonium closes, 

 and the fertilised oosphere, now called th6 oospore, increases in size, 

 ahd fin^ny dcTelops into a true fern. After the 6osphere has been 

 fertuiSed', fC commences its gro\4'th by ordinai'y processes of cell 

 miiltiplicatibn, arid f6r ai time remains within the walls of the 

 archegonium, which continue to grow, until finally the interioP growth 

 brealks thtbugh the Walls, differentiated into its first ro6t and leaf. 

 The young fern draws its nourishment from the prothallus for a, time, 

 but soon develojCS root-halirs, which, extending into the soil, mai'ritain 

 thei'eby aii existence independent of the prothallus, which then withers 

 away. Another mode of reproduction from the prothallus is that it 

 produces buds, without the formation of sexual organs^ 



Vegetable Shxsioeogt. 



As a large number of the terms explained in this work refer to 

 that part of botany termed Vegetable Physiology, it has been thought 

 well to give in this place a brief summary of the subject. As, 

 however, the author feels that nothing which he could write would be 

 so, terse asi Dr. Maxwell T. Master's chapter upon the subject in his 

 "Botany for Beginners," free use has been made of it in the present 

 instance. 



"The minute structure of plants consists of cdls, iubes, and 

 IbIs, of various kinds, disposed ill various ways. The cells are 

 bladders of meinbrari'e, of different shapes and sizes arranged in 

 diverse methods. Within the oriter bladder, or cell-totill as it is 

 tailed, ate, at least, in the young active coudition, certain contents, of 

 wWh the most important for our present purpose is a mucilaginous 

 flriid, <i2X\.6A prdtoplastti. All cells, except those which are old, contain 

 more or less of this protoplasm, which is the most important part of the 

 dell so fa* as functions are concerned. The bladder, or cell- wall, is merely 

 a Mad of protecting skin, composed of cellulose, a substance akin to 

 Stech. Within the cells are formed or deposited various substances, 

 such as albttminous matter, woody material, starch, sugar, oily, and 

 fatty materials, colouring ingredients, and the like. The cells so 

 constituted are usually too sriiall to bo conveniently seen without the 

 aid of a compound microscope, but the pith-cells of the English Elder 

 may be distinguished with an ordinary magnifying glass ; those of the 

 pulp (if an orange by the naked eye, and these latter indeed may, by 

 a little patience, be separated one from another." [In the several 

 SWeeies of our indigenous Citrus these cells are very free, 

 ariyi separate without the least difficulty.— J.ilf.i}.] "All 



