THE HIGHER CRYPTOGAMIA. 127 



the primary, atypical divisions of the spore-cell terminate, 

 and the regular arrangement of the cells of the first shoot 

 commences. As far as present observations extend, this 

 point is generally only a few cells distant from the hinder 

 end of the germ plant. 



Few works upon the Marchantiese have appeared • since 

 those of Mirbel and Bischoff. Gottsche has given a very 

 accurate account of the germination of Preissia commiitata 

 ('Nova Acta A. C. L.,' xx, p. 388) ; Gronland has pub- 

 lished some observations upon the same subject, and upon 

 the germination of Marchantia polymorpha and Lunularia 

 vulgaris ('Ann. d. Sc. Nat.,' iv ser., vol. i, 1854, p. 22) ; 

 and lastly, Henfrey has written upon the development of 

 the spores and elaters of Marchantia poly morpha ('Trans. 

 Linn. Soc.,' vol. xxi). The latter paper contains the 

 important observation that the interior of the young capsule 

 is filled with elongated, closely packed cells. A portion of 

 these radiating cells consists of narrow, thin tubes, tapering 

 at both ends ; these are the young elaters ; the wider cells 

 are the primary mother-cells of the spores. These wider, 

 elongated cells are divided by transverse septa into rows of 

 cubical cells, the spore-mother-cells. Sometimes longi- 

 tudinal division also takes place in some of the rows of 

 cells thus formed (1. c, p. 107). The process is, therefore, 

 very similar to that which I have described in Frullania 

 dilatata. The development of the spores of Marchantia 

 polymorpha affords very little opportunity for the study of 

 the processes of cell-multiplication, on account of the 

 sensitiveness of the membrane and of the contents of the 

 mother-cells. It is quite conceivable that Henfrey might 

 have failed to see nuclei during the examination of the cells 

 in water or iodine (1. c, p. 109). 



Motile spermatozoa were first observed in Marchantia 

 by linger (' N. A. A. C. L.,' xviii, p. 791, 1837). In 

 his figures (1. c, pi. lvii, fig. 4) he represents correctly 

 the relation of the two oscillating cilia of the fore end of the 

 spermatozoon to the body of the latter, but without noticing 

 that the duality of these cilia is normal. Meyer also 

 ( ' Wiegman's Archiv,' 1838, i, p. 212) believed the sper- 

 matozoa of Marchantia to be furnished with only one long 



