Cell Structure, Growth and Division in the Antheridia of Polytrichum etc. 125 
a lower broader part [apparently the ventral canal cell and egg respec- 
tivelv] ; when it is so divided, each part contains a large nueleus surrounded 
by numerous pale gray and green granules. In some cases the “Keimzelle” 
is divided into three, the middle one being the largest. • 
Janczewski (1872) describes the central cell of the archegone in 
Phascaceae, Bryineae and Sphagnaceae as dividing into an “embryonal 
cell” and a ventral canal cell. 
The first observation of antherozoids in the archegonial canal was 
by Hofmeister (1854 a ), although Mettenius (1845) had noted granules 
in the neck of the archegone of Funaria, whieh, however, bore no re- 
semblance to the contents of the antheridia. Hofmeister saw antherozoids 
of Funaria that had penetrated one-third the length of the' canal. 
Roze (1872) several times saw the antherozoids of Sphagnum cym- 
bifolium enter the archegone and penetrate to the immediate vicinity 
of the egg. An archegone is figured whose neck is still closed and in whose 
venter are two cells, the upper [ventral canal cell] somewhat smaller than 
the lower [egg]. In another archegone figured, the neck is open, the ventral 
canal cell has disappeared, and an antherozoid is in contact by its anterior 
end with the egg. 
The first description of an actual fusion of egg and antherozoid was 
by Arnell (1875), who observed the opening of an archegone of Discelium 
nudum and the swarming of the antherozoids into its mouth. The venter 
was soon filled with antherozoids whose motion imparted to the “central 
cell” [egg] a rapid rocking movement. Soon the swarming c-eased, the 
antherozoids disappeared, and the “central cell”, previously smooth on 
the surface, was now papillose because of the incompletelv absorbed 
antherozoids. 
According to Campbell (1895), the egg of Funaria has a small, distinet 
“receptive spot”. The rest of the egg is denselv granulär, and the nueleus 
contains little stainable material excepting the large central nucleole. 
Gayet (1897) finds in the egg nueleus of Sphagnum two nucleoles 
and a loose-meshed reticulum. Just outside the nueleus is a narrow c-lear 
zone. The meshes of the cytoplasm are elosest in the neighborhood of 
the nueleus; the cytoplasm beeomes more dense and the reticulate struc- 
ture less definite as the egg approac-hes maturity. The mature egg con- 
tains many colored granules (“ehromatophores”), each surrounded by a 
hyaline zone, which resemble the attraction spheres so closelv that the 
latter are diffic-ult of reeognition. The egg of Pleuridium, has a homo- 
geneous cytoplasm and a large nueleus, the latter containing a nucleole 
surrounded by a narrow c-lear zone and a considerable number of “ehromo- 
