58 PRINCIPLES OF PI, ANT-TERATOLOGY. 



Brizi mentions several cases of reduction. In the 

 moss Eurhynehium circummitans the antheridia were 

 reduced in number in the male flowers, while the 

 female flowers were sterile. In the moss Hyjpnum 

 triquetrum the archegonia of the female flowers were 

 aborted. In Brachythecium velutinum the female 

 flowers were devoid of archegonia. 



2. THE SPOROPHYTE GENERATION. 



" Double " Sporogonia. — This is undoubtedly the 

 commonest abnormality met with in the sporophyte 

 generation. Moreover, no abnormality in Bryophytes, 

 with the possible exception of apospory, has given rise 

 to a greater number of theories to account for its 

 cause or meaning. 



Schimper was one of the first to record " syncarpy," 

 as it was called, in a number of different mosses. In 

 these the capsule gave the appearance of being forked 

 in varying degrees, sometimes only slightly at the 

 apex, sometimes halfway down (fig. !(>/>), in other 

 cases again to the extreme base, this last producing 

 the phenomenon of twin capsules borne on a common 

 seta (fig. 16 a). He ascribes the phenomenon to the 

 fusion of two sporogonia arising from two different 

 archegonia which have come into contact in the 

 receptacle, i. e. in the apex of the vegetative stem. 

 G-yorrfy observed unequal forking of the capsule on a 

 common seta (PI. Ill, fig. 6) in a species of Brynm. 



Le Dien, who observed much the same thing in the 

 moss Trichostomum rigidvlwm, says that it is due to 

 the formation of two capsules belonging to the same 

 archegonium and subsequent fusion of their pedicels. 



Bescherelle agrees with Schimper, but emphasises 

 the point that both archegonia which have fused must 

 have been fertilized or no " syncarpy " could have 

 occurred. 



Durieu de Maisonneuve observed a double capsule 



