412 
Notes . 
very much puzzled to explain the object of these cells. At first sight 
they would appear to be due to the attacks of some parasite (possibly 
Chytridium ), but after a considerable amount of observation, I do not 
think this very probable. As far as I have been able to make out, 
they have also no connexion with any process of reproduction. In fact 
I might not have mentioned them at all here, if I had not come across 
exactly the same cells whilst examining some young plants of Stigeo - 
clonium (Fig. 22, 3, r). They in every way resembled the cells I had 
found in the Aphanochaete , but were not present in such quantities. 
The fact that they occur in two different genera is interesting. 
I have as yet been able to find little mention of them in the literature 
of the Chaetophoraceae. Somewhat similar cells have been observed 
in connexion with the liberation of zoospores in other genera of 
Chaetophoraceae. Thus, Wille 1 mention^ that outside the mother- 
cell, from which the zoospores are derived in Trentepohlia umbrtna, 
Born., a vesicle is to be found, which is considerably larger than the 
zoospores themselves. He goes on to say : ‘ Diese Blase enthielt 
beinahe stets einige runde Korner von der Beschaffenheit des Zell- 
inhalts, welche Korner Molecularbewegung zeigten. . . . Nachdem sie 
eine Weile gelegen hatte, loste sie sich in dem umgebenden Wasser 
auf.’ Hildebrandt 2 describes a similar structure in the case of the 
zoospores of a species of Chroolepus ; here, however, a small 
mucilaginous sphere is emitted from the sporangium, and round 
this a number of red granules are aggregated. At present I can say 
no more on this subject, but hope to return to it at a future date. 
II. THE GERMINATION OP THE ZOOSPORES IN 
OEDOGONIUM. — Several authors (Wille 3 , Cleve 4 , and Poulsen 5 ) 
have already described the germination of the zoospores in Oedogonium. 
Unluckily in all these cases the species which was used was not 
1 Ueber die Schwarmzellen u. deren Copulation bei Trentepohlia , Mart., Prings- 
heim’s Jahrb., vol. xviii, 1887, pp. 427, 428. PI. XVI, Fig. 1, v. 
2 Ueber eine Chroolepus mit Zoosporenbildung. Botanische Zeitung, 1861, 
pp. 82, 83; PI. Ill, Fig. 9. 
3 Algologische Mittheilungen.— -V. Ueber das Keimen der Schwarmsporen bei 
Oedogonium. Pringsheim’s Jahrb. f. wissenschaftl. Bot., vol. xviii, 1887, p. 454. 
4 Iakttagelser ofver den hvilande Oedogonium-spoiQns utveckling. Ofvers. af 
K. Vet.-Akad. Fdrh., 1863, p. 247. 
8 Om svsermsporens spiring hos en art af slsegten Oedogonium. Botanisk Tids- 
skrift, 3rd ser., vol. ii, 1877-79, p. 1. 
