J 18 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF 



attempts to discover male organs has proved the more vain the 

 further the investigation of these plants has advanced, in the more 

 highly organised famihes of Cryptogamia, on the contrary, in which 

 there exists separation of the organs of vegetation into stem and 

 leaf, the last few years have seen the discovery of convincing 

 proofs of tlie existence of two sexes. 



In the last century, when Hedwig in particular devoted himself 

 to the investigation of the Cryptogamia, the idea that two sexes 

 must exist in all Cryptogamous plants, was quite predominant; 

 and thus, often enough without a trace of consideration, the most 

 diverse parts were, from mere opinion, separated as male organs. 

 This brought the whole effort to discover impregnating oi'gans 

 into discredit, and the opinion that all the Cryptogamia were de- 

 void of male organs, and developed their spores without previous 

 impregnation, became more and more diffused. It is true that 

 organs had been discovered in certain Cryptogamous families, espe- 

 cially the Charas and Mosses, which from the time of their appear- 

 ance, from their position, «fec., stood in evident relation to the fruit; 

 but since no positive influence could be proved to be exerted by 

 them upon the young sporangia, their function as anthers was 

 denied ; although it was at the same time admitted they had a 

 ceitain analogy with them, whence they were, indeed, called an- 

 tluTidia. In more recent times, two circumstances seemed chiefly 

 to strengthen the earlier doubt which had been entertained as to 

 the function of the antheridia. My own researches, namely, 

 shewed that the spores of the higher Cryptogamia do not, as had 

 been previously supposed, exhibit a resemblance in respect to their 

 development and structure, to tJie seeds of the Phanerogamia, but 

 that the most perfect agreement exists between them and the 

 pollen-grains of the Phanerogamia. From this it necessarily, yet 

 strangely, appeared that organs of perfectly like structure fulfilled 

 the fanction of germs in one part of the Vegetable Kingdom and 

 in the other part constituted the male, impregnating organs ; but, 

 little as the formation of a pollen-grain depends upon an impregna- 

 tion, no one circumstance shewed itself in the development of the 

 spore, at all more resulting from the co-operation of an impreg- 

 nating organ. Stni more doubtful did the theory of the impreg- 

 nation of the Cryptogamia necessarily become^ when Nageli made 

 the discovery, in the Ferns, of antheridia in many respects resem- 

 bling those of the Mosses, which were not formed upon the fall- 

 grown plant at the same time as the rudiments of the sporangia, 

 but occurred upon the germ-plant (pro-embryo), while the perfect 

 plant was devoid of them. 



Under these circumstances, Schleiden seemed to be warranted 

 in characterizing the effort to discover impregnating organs in the 

 Cryptogamia, as a mania. But by good luck, certain men who 

 had this mania did not allow it to lead them astray in their 

 researches, and a^ often happens, nature this time proved so rich 



