APPENDIX. 
1 16 
resuscitation accompanied by a splitting up of the terminal 
prothallus into several smaller ones, but no definite progress in 
the direction of reproduction. 
Meanwhile, however, the next frond in succession grew on, 
and at first showed no signs whatever of prothallic buds, per- 
fecting, indeed, its normal growth entirely without a sign of them ; 
this completed, however, an irregularity appeared at the top of 
one of the basal pinnae, and very speedily others appeared at all 
points and edges generally, root-hairs and prothalli being 
developed simultaneously. At this stage, too, the flat surface of 
the frond along the line of the rhachis broke out into an eruption 
of small pimples, which very speedily assumed the perfect normal 
form and size of prothalli ; so that at the time of writing 
(October 23, 1892) the upper part of the frond is completely 
covered by a bunch of prothalli of various sizes, all arising by 
simple budding and extension of the cellular growth of the frond 
itself. 
At present the next frond in succession presents no abnor 
mality save a terminal expansion and furcation of the rhachis, 
which, in conjunction with other specific characters now clear 
enough, proclaim the plant to be a tasselled form of Lastrea, 
presumably the old L. Pseudo-mas, var. cristata ; and this leads 
me to surmise that apospory in this instance is connected with, 
and possibly the outcome of, apogamy. 
Professor Farlow, when he discovered that phenomenon, found 
that Lastrea Pseudo-mas, var. cristata, was constantly apogamous, 
i.e., was constantly produced from the prothallus by simple bud- 
growth without the sexual interaction of the antheridia and 
archegonia. That, it will be seen, is precisely the converse of this 
case, where the sporophore buds out directly into the oophore. 
Now, assuming such an origin for the plant under notice, it 
seems to me not at all surprising that, being thus produced by 
simple bud-growth from a prothallus, it should be to a certain 
extent unstable, and apt, if grown under specially close and 
relaxing conditions of culture, as in this case, to revert to the 
prothallic cell-formation from which it has so recently deviated 
in an abnormal manner and minus that vital line of demarcation 
between oophore and sporophore which normally is drawn by 
the action of the antherozoids upon the archegonial bud. 
Upon close examination of the plant which 1 exhibit, it will 
be seen not to be alone, a smaller one, exhibiting the same 
characters in a minor degree, being associated with it. The original 
prothallus having decayed, 1 am unable to determine whether both 
these plants are derived from it ; if so, they are sufficiently far 
apart to point to an apogamous origin, since twin plants normally 
produced are usually closely attached to each other. According 
