OX HEPATIC/E. 



289 



and at the time of full maturity bursts, either in a regular, or 

 generally in an irregular manner. It is almost always 

 sessile or nearly so. There is nothing very remarkable to be 

 observed in it, except the frequent prespnce of fibres in the 

 cells of its inner surface. It contains either sporula only, or 

 sporula and elaters. 



No genuine plant of the order is furnished with a colu- 

 mella. In Riccioidese and Anthocerote<e it does not exist ; in 

 the former all the changes are carried on in the ovarium, 

 which hence subsequently becomes the capsule. In the lat- 

 ter it is difficult to refer the capsule to either of these mem- 

 branes, although from the total absence of a style, it is more 

 analogous to the inner, than the outer. 



The peculiar and characteristic bodies, Elaters, are by no 

 means universal in the order, and hence too much importance 

 has in my opinion been attached on them. They are 

 almost universally associated with the existence of fibrous 

 cells of the capsule : and this would seem to corroborate the 

 truth of Mr. Mirbel's conjecture, that they are modifications 

 of such cells. In fact, the transition between these cells and 

 the elaters, is very evident in Jungermannia epiphylla. In their 

 younger states they consist of an elongated cell, containing 

 one or more grumons nuclei. They are not to be confounded 

 as has been done by Sprengel with the remains of cellular 

 tissue, which occurs intermixed with the sporula in some ge- 

 nera. Too much stress has, I think, been laid on these or- 

 gans as inducing the despersion of the sporula, neither do I 

 see in any instance, that the sporules adhere to the elaters. 



In all the genera, "the formation of the sporula appears the 

 same, consisting in the ternary or quaternary division of an 

 originally simple nucleus, and the subsequent separation of 

 these divisions, each of which becomes a perfect sporule. In 

 Anthoceros the formation of these organs is gradual, and as it 

 were indefinite, the degrees of evolution being beautifully 

 shewn in the mature capsule, from the original, undivided, and 

 simple cell which may be found near its base, to the perfect 



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