'R. I LIS T. [\'oL. XXXVII 

 oitluT iiK.rpholoKical ( 



fussia, but there IS no cerlani cvulcncc. cithei 

 <;u)]()c,n(Lal, that the hmnd iii J ) m i i m i\ n .t he the oldu . 

 While a direct comparison ot the sporan-iuplv -re ot the existing 

 species of Ophioglossum with the svnan-ium ot 1 )ana a would 

 be hardly justifiable, still it is conceivable that sx iiangia ot the 

 type of Danxa might have originated Irom the complete adhe- 

 sion to the surface of the sterile leat segment of a series of 

 small sporangiophores not so ver\' ditferent from those actually 

 found m Op/noo^lossnm palviatnui (Ing. ^). If the primitive 

 character or the svnagium of Dancea is admitted, it is easy to 

 trace the ongm ot the marattiaceous types bv the expansion of 

 the leat lamina. Hovver suggests that the primitive type of 

 Marattiacea- probablv had an undivided leaf like that of Damea 

 sjuipliiifolia, with scattered round son similar to those of Kaul- 

 tussia. We agree with this except as to the character of the 

 son, winch we believe were quite as probably like those of the 



mihes, Ophioglossacese and Marat- 

 closely resemble each other in the 

 character of the reproductive 

 organs and embryo, and also in 

 I the apical growth and dorsiven- 

 tral form of the gametophyte. 

 The position of the archegonia 

 and the absence of chlorophyll 

 are undoubtedly associated with 

 the subterranean life of the 

 gametophyte. 



W hile in the sporophyte such 

 differences as the coiled verna- 

 ..wn^„f ,,art^.„ the uou ()[ thc Icaf, aud presence of 

 .same; Cross- mucilage ducts in the Marat- 

 ^ n.>i.e^. j^-j^g^ taken into ac- 



count, the two orders neverthe- 

 general morphology of both stem and leaf, 

 At ion ot the leaves, while in regard to the 

 the stem and root, the Ophioglossaceje are 

 hei fcins than are the Marattiaceje. Finally, 



