THE AMERICAN BOTANIST, 



9 



quickly examine the cut surfaces with a simple magnifier 

 he will see a most interesting sight. From the gaps made 

 by the knife in the delicate walls of the sporophylls, a live- 

 ly crowd of spores come tumbling out (fig. 6) jostling each 

 other in their haste and apparently urged on by those be- 

 hind. As each fat little spore reaches the open, it unfolds 

 its elaters,like four tiny wings, (figs. 3 and 4) and quickly 

 sails out of the field. 



As long as the moisture in the tissues is evaporating, 

 they continue to come. To change the scene one has only 

 to dip his specimen into water At once ever^^ elater is 

 coiled (fig. 5). Even those spores just balancing on tip- 

 toe as it were, for flight, decide to remain and all seem try- 

 ing to shrink into the smallest compass possible. We are 

 taught that the elaters function is in assisting the spores 

 to escape from the sporangia, but it appears that they are 



