On Azolla and Salvinia. 239 



smaller, more numerous, secondary capsules of the two 

 may be said to be absolutely the same, the fact of their pre- 

 senting in Salvinia simple pedicels, and a single mass being, 

 at least so far as origin is concerned, of minor impor- 

 tance. 



Many points of this communication are nearly untouched, 

 but I have not lately been able to procure either of the two 

 genera in fructification. I have not yet observed any thing in 

 connection with germination; after three months immersion 

 in water neither kind of organ has undergone any change. 



There are some points of the above observations which 

 seem to me to call for remark, before passing to the more 

 general ones, which it is the aim of this to establish. 



A curious discrepancy to reduce, appears to me pre- 

 sented by the body and its lobes surmounting the yellow 

 sac in Azolla. 



Analogy perhaps suggests its being of the nature of the 

 masses enclosing the trifacial cells in the other kind of 

 secondary capsules. For not to mention the similarity in 

 appearance between the rather numerous condensed points, 

 visible in the grume surmounting the sac in Azolla, with 

 those, especially such as appear to be abortive, in the 

 grumous nucleus of both kinds of secondary capsules 

 in Salvinia, (which would perhaps justify the hypothesis 

 of their being the rudiments of so many parent cells,) 

 I have seen appearances in which they appeared to be sur- 

 rounded by a membrane : and this has appeared to me cer- 

 tain that at least more such membranes have been ob- 

 served than the subsequent number of lobes, even although 

 I have seen more than one point of condensation enclosed 

 in one membrane. So that their origin from confluence 

 of several distinct parts, and the enclosure of one at 

 least of the original points in the mass so resulting seems, 

 though perhaps obscurely, to parallel the formation of the 



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