CHONDRTTS. 455 



spermatium, or male cell. This escapes as a colourless, 

 small round cell, devoid at first of any cell wall, with, a 

 diameter of 4-5m. It is non-motile. A fragment of a 

 plastid seems to be present in the spermatium, but this is 

 not revealed by any appearance of colour. 



When the spermatia have escaped they cease developing 

 any further till they come in contact with the female organ 

 or carpogonium. 



The antheridia form a layer, which extends over almost 

 the entire surface of the spermophore, hence the white 

 appearance of the latter. The spermatia are found to be 

 mature between October and December. 



3. — The Carpophore. 



The development of the female cell of Chondrus crispus 

 has not yet been made out properly. The following 

 account of its development and structure is based, there- 

 fore, on the few established facts, and on our knowledge 

 concerning the state of affairs in nearly allied genera. 



Certain portions of the upright fronds take on the 

 function of carpophores, which carry the female organs. 

 They are first very short, being barely l-2mm. in length. 

 In this condition they show various characteristic struc- 

 tures. The central conducting tissue is seen to consist of 

 slightly elongated cells filled with starch. These cells are 

 destined to play an important part later on in the forma- 

 tion of reproductive cells. In the assimilating layer certain 

 of the cell rows, instead of carrying out their normal func- 

 tion, have developed into procarpia, of which the carpo- 

 gonia form parts. Each procarp consists originally of four 

 cells (fig. 36). The large basal cell is seen to be con- 

 tinuous with the collecting cells stem inwards. Further 

 outwards it is continued into the two intermediate cells, 

 and finally the one celled carpogonium. This consists of 



