644 
and in thè subsequent developraent of thè fertilised egg-cell. New 
we owe our kuowledge of thè fertilisation process in thè Bangiacece 
to Berthold, and no one has as yet followed all thè stages in thè 
process in thè Eu-Floridese. A careful comparison of thè process in 
thè two groups, as far as it is known, shews, it seems to me, thè 
greatest similarity and serves quite otherwise than as a cause for 
their separation. In each group thè non-motile spermatium, already 
enclosed in its membrane, comes into contact with thè carpogonium, 
by thè intervention of thè trichogyne, if present, (and not necessari- 
ly its apex), thè wall of contact between thè two breaks down, 
and thè spermatium contents pass through into thè carpogonium, 
first through thè trichogyne canal if present, and then into thè body 
of thè carpogonium where, judging from analogy, thè fusion of male 
and female nuclei occurs. In thè Eu-Florideae thè now useless tri- 
chogyne, with its frothy granular protoplasm, is cut off by a cell- 
wall, from thè fertilised carpogonium. In thè Bangiaoeas on thè 
other hand thè trichogyne when at all indicated, is, so far as we 
know at present, not cut off after thè carpogonium has been ferti- 
lised. This is, in ray view, thè only important difference in thè pro- 
cess of fertilisation in thè two groups, and is surely not sufficient 
to serve as one of thè two cMef reasons for thè reraoval of thè 
Bangiaceae from thè Floridefe. A comparison of thè processes of 
fertilisation in thè three great groups of Algae, thè Chlorophycece, 
Phceophycec^, and Rhodophycece (Floridece) so far as thè process 
is known in these groups, brings out more clearly what is, it ap- 
pears to me, thè essential feature of distinction in thè fertilisation 
process in thè Florideae. In thè Chlorophycece thè oosphere remains 
in thè parent plant, thè wall enclosing it is perforated so that thè 
antherozoid is able to pass bodily into thè oosphere, with resulting 
fusion of male and female nuclei. In thè Phceophycece thè fertilisa- 
tion is external, i. e. thè antherozoid fuses with thè naked oosphere 
after both bave passed from thè parent plant into thè surrounding 
It woiild be of great interest if thè life-history of Prasiola (one of thè 
Chlorophycece) could be ascertained in viewof T. H. Buffham’s note in Grevil- 
lea (march. 1893) on thè reproductive organs of this plant. It is in thè Chlo- 
rophyceoe^ beside thè Schizogonece, (Prasiola etc.). that Schmitz thinks thè 
Bangiacece must be placed. Schmitz would be satislìed if thè Bangiaceae were, 
for thè present, excluded from thè Florideae, and placed beside them as thè 
representati ves of an iudipendent group, thè Bangiales or Porphyrinoe. 
