496 
BOTANY: D. H. CAMPBELL 
young sporophyte throughout was a vivid green. After about a month, 
most of them showed the darkening of the apical region, indicating the 
presence of ripe spores, and this darkening soon extended downward 
until it embraced pretty nearly the whole sporophyte. An examination 
showed both spores and elaters to be apparently in no way different 
from those found in normal sporophytes. These spores were observed 
to germinate freely, and the young gametophytes produced from them 
were apparently entirely normal. 
As it might be argued that the small amount of gametophytic tissue 
left adhering to the isolated sporophyte might be necessary for the 
absorption of water, experiments were made in which the sporophyte 
was pulled out of the calyptra, leaving the foot behind. Although the 
larger part of these footless sporophytes failed to survive, nevertheless, 
a number of them lived for two months or more, and behaved very 
much like the others. 
The only case in which there was present anything suggesting a 
formation of roots from the foot, was one where the bottom of the foot 
had been exposed by cutting away the underlying tissue of the game- 
tophyte, thus bringing the foot into direct contact with the soil. A 
couple of short outgrowths, of the superficial cells, resembling rhizoids, 
were seen, but they were too inconspicuous to be of any great impor- 
tance. It is hoped that further investigations may furnish more positive 
results. 
This much can be definitely stated. The young sporophyte of Antho- 
ceros Pearsoni, separated from its association with the gametophyte, 
is capable of a limited growth in length, and is able to mature normal 
spores and elaters from the young sporogenous tissue. 
The following data may be of interest. 
The greatest elongation noted, after transplanting, was about 3 mm. 
In most cases it was less than this. 
The first planting was made on November 28. Some of these 
sporophytes were still alive on March 13. The foot had rotted off, 
but the chromatophores in the upper part were still green, and normal 
ripe spores had developed. 
In the later plantings, many of the sporophytes were still alive when 
the experiments were concluded, ranging from six weeks to two months 
from the time of planting. 
On January 13, a number of sporophytes, deprived of the foot, and 
thus completely severed from the gametophyte, were planted. Some 
of these were still alive on March 15. The cells of the broken end 
were still alive, but there was no evidence of rhizoid formation. Ripe 
spores and elaters were developed, as in the other experiments. 
