38 West & West. — Observations on the Conjugatae . 
very plainly, being opposed to the axile rod of chlorophyll 
towards the centre of the cell. 
The method of conjugation and the formation of the rudi- 
mentary sporocarp are very well known, but we wish to point 
out a few irregularities which are occasionally met with. It 
is no uncommon thing for conjugation to take place through 
the end of one of the cells, the latter cell forming no con- 
jugating-tube ; we have observed this in M. parvula (Fig. 44) 
and M. nummuloides. We have also seen a hybrid example 
(Fig. 55), corresponding to Spirogyra maxima , var. inaequalis 
and others (Figs. 70 and 71), in which conjugation has taken 
place between two species of different thickness. Fig. 45 is 
an example of M. recurva in which three cells were con- 
jugating to form one spore (analogous to other cases in 
Spirogyra and Zygnema ; cf. Fig. 66). 
There is a most noticeable disparity in size between the 
carpospores of different species in relation to the size of the 
sterile cells of the sporocarp (cf. Figs. 47 and 46 of M. nummu- 
loides and M. angolensis , also similar remarks relating to the 
aplanospores of Gonatonema). An example of M. capucina 
from the New Forest is figured, in which there are two 
carpospores present in the same sporocarp (Fig. 48). This 
is analogous to the double zygospores of Closterium lineatum 
and certain abnormal cases of Spirogyra (Figs. 75 and 76). 
The carpospores of M. irregularis are worthy of note for 
the extreme irregularity of their spore-membrane (Figs. 56 
and 57). 
Spores resembling aplanospores are occasionally found in 
Mougeotia , but we have not been so fortunate as to meet 
with any. They are spores produced by the division of the 
original cell 1 , and not by a rounding off of the contents as 
in Gonatonema ; they may be regarded as carpospores formed 
from sporocarps (consisting of two or three cells) produced 
without conjugation, but possibly in consequence of the 
1 Wittrock, 1. c., t. ii, f. 7 s, s (pseudospora tripartitione (more Staurospermi) 
sine copulatione formata), et 8 m, m (pseudospora bipartitione (more Mesocarpi) 
sine copulatione formata). 
