ARCHER ON TWO NEW SPECIES IN SAPROLEGNIEiE. 139 



the character implied, differs from them in presenting so curious an 

 example of confusion of parts with a maintenance of clear distinct- 

 ness of function — a male-female or a female-male, yet male and female 

 elements distinct per se. In this character, then, it differs from every 

 Saprolegniaceous form described, as well as (with another form, to the 

 figures of which I shall presently draw attention), in the oogonia being 

 formed, not solitary and terminating lateral branches, but in a usually 

 uninterrupted series, mostly terminating a filament, but sometimes pro- 

 duced at some point along its length. 



On looking at this plant at first sight, from what has been said, it 

 will not, perhaps, appear surprising that it should have been momenta- 

 rily taken as a gynandrosporous form — the lateral male branchlets ema- 

 nating from each oogonium, and reaching up to the oogonium imme- 

 diately above, looking not unlike dwarf male plants of separate origin 

 seated on the outward surface of each oogonium. But a closer examina- 

 tion reveals their true nature, and proves that these are in direct continu- 

 ation with the oogonium giving them off, like the thumb of a glove ; but 

 casually viewed, however, there is, no doubt, some amount of resem- 

 blance to the gynandrosporous type, and I even looked for some time 

 for the male element in another direction, trying to find the mother- 

 cells of androspores ; but this was only when I had as yet seen but a 

 single specimen of the fruit, which did not show its true structure as 

 clearly as the numerous ones which afterwards presented themselves. 



The second form to which I venture to direct attention is a dioecious 

 plant (figs. 2-6). Unfortunately, however, as in the previous instance, 

 I did not meet with it in a stage sufficiently early to see the evolution 

 of the zoospores, and thus to determine the genus. Still, combining 

 two indications furnished from other sources, presently to be mentioned, 

 the evidence seems sufficiently strong to point to the genus Achlya as 

 the proper location of this species. 



I have mentioned that this form is dioecious, but I had the good 

 fortune to meet with the empty mother-cells only of the spermatozoids. 

 Their structure and mode of development, however, agreed so com- 

 pletely with that part of the fructification in Achlya dioica, as figured by 

 Pringsheim, that there is no need here to give a drawing.* A terminal 

 portion of one of the tubular filaments of which the plant is composed 

 was divided by transverse septa into several cavities, two or three times 

 longer than broad ; these cavities were densely filled by empty globular 

 hyaline coats, which had evidently been evacuated by the contents. 

 The only difference from Pringsheim' s figure consisted in these special 

 mother-cells being somewhat smaller and more numerous. 



Now, whereas in Achlya dioica (Pringsh.) the spermatozoids are pro- 

 duced by unskinning from a special mother-cell, as are also the zoo- 

 spores, so also I think we may feel justified in assuming from analogy, 

 inasmuch as the spermatozoids in the present instance are formed by 



* " Jahrbiicher fur wiss. Bor." Band, ii., t. xxiii. fig. 2. 



