370 



musci. 



which occurs among the more perfect of the lower groups of 

 animals. With reference to this, the examination of those 

 plants absurdly called Synorhizal is important : is the funiculus 

 of their embryo altogether developed before the embryo appears 

 or not ? 



In certain plants in which the stalk of the embryo consists 

 of several superimposed cells : are these cells formed altogether 

 before or after the appearance of the embryo. ? If before, it is 

 a direct analogy with this tardy appearance in Mosses and 

 Ferns ; because if 4 or 5 cells are formed before the embryo, 

 there is no reason why 40 or 50 should not be formed in 

 other instances. The marked resemblance between the deve- 

 Jopement of the sporules, and of pollen, so far as the formation 

 of these by division, and the growth of the sporula on ger- 

 minating, have induced some to believe that these plants are 

 essentially male plants, and that the pollen, which is assumed 

 to be the essence of the function of reproduction in these, 

 requires no nidus for its future developement, being at once 

 capable of growth. But the preleminary steps that occur in 

 these plants are fatal objections to this, for they present every 

 analogy with that of the operations of the sexes in Phaeno- 

 gams. Besides they are highly complicated, and it as illogical, I 

 think to assume a higher degree of complication for one set of 

 phenomena than for two mutually dependent on each other. 

 Not a thing occurs in common with the developement of 

 pollen, until the inner membrane makes its appearance. It 

 appears to me that some hints, why the females assume the 

 form of males, may be deducible from the comparative 

 structure of the lower groups of animals. In all such in- 

 stances we must not look to one set of phenomena, but to 

 all. Thus if we merely take into consideration, the structure of 

 the seed, we should refer Rafflesia to Acrogens, whereas all its 

 affinities are with Exogens. There is some reason for suppos- 

 ing that the earlier characters deducible from structure, are 

 more valuable than later ones ; thus several embryos appear 

 acotyledonous, until we examine them at an early stage. 



