THE VEGETABLE CELL. 119 



that, not indeed was what had been nought found, bnt instead of 

 this a series of conditions, the existence of which was previously 

 altogether unsuspected. The researches relating to this point are, 

 it is true, still far from their completion, since at the present 

 moment nothing more than a preliminary notice of isolated con- 

 clusions already arrived at can be given ; but these, although isola- 

 ted, cause us to expect with certainty in this field a series of the 

 most striking discoveries. 



The Mosses have served for a very long period as the main 

 props of the view that two sexes and an impiegnation occur in 

 in the higher Cryptogamia. Not only was attention naturally 

 called in these to the constant occurrence of the antheridia, and 

 their great development, but trustworthy experience, formerly of 

 Bruch, more recently of Schimper {^^Rech. s, I. Mousses!' 55) de- 

 monstrated that Mosses which have antheridia and the rudiments 

 of sporangia upon the same stem always bear fruit, while dioecious 

 Mosses never setfruit in localitieswhere only female specimens grow. 

 No one has succeeded in making out the mode in which the anthe- 

 ridia act upon the rudimentary fruit ; but the physiological fact 

 just mentioned does not lose its force on that account. 



A second family indicating the necessity of an impregnation, were 

 the Rhizocarpe^, since numerous observations had shewn that the 

 large and small spores of these plants could not be separated 

 without preventing the former growing into new plants. Schleiden, 

 indeed, had extended his theory of the development of the embryo 

 from the pollen-tube to this family, and arranged them with Phane- 

 rogamia. But nothing was gained by this, for, on the one hand, 

 Schleiden's whole theory of impregnation proved a false beacon ; 

 on the other, Schleiden's statements as to the Ehizocarpese were 

 not confirmed, and tliis more particularly in the most essential 

 point, the mode of origin of the embryo. 



Then unexpectedly appeared Count Leszcyc-Suminski's essay 

 on the development of Ferns (''ZuTEntwicJdungsgesGLdeTFarreyi' 

 krauter," 1848), the contents of which at first seemed fabulous, so 

 contradictory were they to all that was known of the organization 

 and development of plants. But a more minute study of this treatise 

 — a comparison of the autho/s results with nature — soon shewed 

 that although he had been deceived in a few particulars, his ac- 

 count was far fi:om being a creation of the fancy^ and that his re- 

 searches had broken open a path to a long series of discoveries- 



In all families of the leafy Cryptogamia (with the exception of 

 the Lycopodiacese*) antheridia have been discovered, exhibiting it 

 is true considerable variations of external forra and structure in 

 the difierent families, but collectively agreeing in the circumstance 

 of developing in their interior very delicately-waUed cells, at first 

 containing an amorphous substance coloured yellow by iodine, in 

 place of which, at the epoch of maturation of the antheridia, a d^eli- 

 * Now found in these also, see note further on. — A. H. 



