134 THE MARATTIALES 



a second body of rather indefinite outline and staining much less strongly than the 

 lower nucleus could be made out; but up to the present time I have not been able 

 to satisfy myself that the division of the neck canal cell nucleus, which always 

 occurs in the other Marattiaceae, takes place here. The very uncertain nature of the 

 ventral canal cell recalls strongly the condition of affairs in Ophioglossum, where it 

 is equally difficult to demonstrate satisfactorily the presence of a true ventral canal 

 cell. 



FERTILIZATION. 



It has not been possible to follow in detail the process of fertilization in the 

 Marattiaceae, but several stages were found in preparations of Marattia douglasii. 

 The entrance of the spermatozoid into the archegonium was not seen, but in a 

 number of cases the material had been killed immediately after, and twice spermato- 

 zoids were found which had penetrated into the egg. In these cases the spermato- 

 zoid was quite unchanged in form, but had not yet entered the nucleus itself. One 

 case was observed where there were apparently two nuclei in close contact, but the 

 egg nucleus was much contracted and it is doubtful whether this was really a normal 

 appearance. It is probable that the details of fertilization are quite similar to those 

 observed in other ferns. 



