ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
201 
logical Botany. The second part commences with an Introduction on 
the Microscope, its structure, the use of staining reagents, &c., and 
proceeds to a description of the minute structure of the tissues and other 
parts of plants. It is well and clearly written, and the illustrations are 
very well chosen. 
B. CRYPTOGAMIA. \ 
Cryptogamia Vascularia. 1 
Botryopteridese.* * * § — M. R. Renault establishes the new family Botryo- 
PTERIDE2E, intermediate between Filices and Hydropterideae, for the fossil 
genera Clepsydropsis Ung., Zygopteris Cord., Gramm atop ter is g. n., and 
Botryopteris Ren. They appear to have been aquatic plants in which the 
parenchyme of the frond is nearly or entirely suppressed. The branches 
of the rachis are alternate in a horizontal or vertical plane ; the fructifi- 
cation is situated at the apex of the ultimate branches. When floating 
on the water the frond sometimes possesses a lamina provided with 
stomates on its upper, and absorbing hairs on its under surface. The 
sporanges are large, pear-shaped, oblong, circular or polyhedral, are 
provided with an annulus, and contain two kinds of spore. They may 
be regarded as sporocarps with free megaspores and microspores. The 
Botryopteridese are allied to the Filices by the structure and mode of 
branching of the stem, and by the presence of an annulus, but differ from 
them in the existence of two kinds of spore. In this respect they resemble 
the Hydropteridese, as also in the mode of grouping of the stalked 
sporanges, and in their habit. 
Apospory in Ferns. — Prof. F. 0. Bower j records two examples of 
the production of gemmae in Trichomanes Kaulfussii (growing in dark 
shady situations) similar to those already observed in T. alatum. They 
occurred in great quantities, and the leaves which bear them appear to 
be destitute of sporanges. They originate from single marginal or 
superficial cells, and bear lateral rhizoids of a dark-brown colour. At 
their apices the prothalloid growths bear short branches or sterigmas, on 
each of which is a gemma which germinates directly. The whole structure 
is regarded by the author as of a gametophytic nature. 
Mr. C. T. Drewry % describes a new example of apospory in the case 
of a variety of Scolopendrium vulgar e. In young plants raised from the 
aposporous prothallia of Lastrea pseudo-mas var. cristata, he finds all 
intermediate stages between the oophore and the sporophore. 
Elaters of Polyp odium imbricatum.§ — Herr G. Karsten describes 
the peculiar structure of the spores in this fern, each of which is pro- 
vided with a band composed of two very long and slender threads of 
cellulose closely interwoven with one another, the surface of this band 
being again covered with very fine hairs or projections. The whole band 
is strongly hygroscopic, and presents a remarkable analogy to the elaters 
of Marchantia or of Eguisetum, as it performs the same function in the 
* Bull. Soc. d’Hist. Nat. d’Autun, iv. (2 pis.). See Bot. Centralbl., 1894, Beih., 
p. 451. 
t Ann. Bot., viii. (1894) pp. 465-8 (3 figs.). Cf. this Journal, 18S8, p. 617. 
t Journ. Linn. Soc. (Bot.). xxx. (1894) pp. 281-4 (1 pi.). 
§ Flora, lxxix. (1891) Eiganzungsbd., pp. 87-91 (1 pi.). 
