436 Lawson . — The Gametophytes , Fertilization and 
I am convinced that the first two divisions at least take place before the 
base of the archegonium is reached, although Arnoldi reports that the 
fusion-nucleus passes to the bottom of the archegonium before dividing. 
One preparation, as shown in Fig. 52, showed six free nuclei lying one 
behind the other. It seems to me very improbable that the uppermost of 
this row of nuclei originated at the base of the archegonium. 
In his work on Taxodium , Coker (’ 03 ) makes special emphasis of the 
starch brought into the egg by the male cell. He reports that the proto- 
plasm and starch of the male cell form a distinct layer around the egg- 
nucleus. This later becomes separated from the egg and forms the greater 
part of the young embryo. In Cryptomeria a distinct zone of starch was 
observed surrounding each of the free nuclei of the pro-embryo. The 
quantity present, however, is very much greater than that brought in by 
the male cell, and I am therefore convinced that only a very small 
proportion of the starch present in the developing embryo comes from the 
male cell. Viewed in the light of what occurs in Sequoia (Lawson, ’ 04 ), 
where all the starch of the male cell remains outside of the archegonium, 
and becomes disorganized in the pollen-tube, the point which Coker has 
raised is not of very great importance. 
By the time the second division is completed, two or more of the free 
nuclei have settled in the base of the archegonium and they all prepare for 
the third division. Fig. 52 shows the manner in which the two lower 
nuclei are situated and the upper two have not yet reached the base. 
Each nucleus is surrounded by a dense zone of starch-granules. The starch 
is carried down with the nuclei and forms a very sharply differentiated 
region as shown in Figs. 53, 54 > and 55 * 
The third division results in the formation of eight nuclei, which are 
arranged in tiers as shown in Fig. 56. In these latter stages it was 
impossible to see all the nuclei in a single section, but by studying the 
series, it was comparatively easy to distinguish eight nuclei. Immediately 
after the third division the continuous fibrils of the spindles persist, and 
present the appearance of radiating systems, which connect the daughter- 
nuclei with one another. In the first two divisions the entire spindles 
disappear immediately after the daughter-nuclei are organized, but after 
the third division the fibrils persist (Fig. 54 and 55 )> an ^ the first cell- 
membranes of the embryo are formed between the nuclei. As shown in 
Fig. 55, these cell-walls of the upper tier are formed parallel with the long 
axis of the archegonium, and the cells thus formed are open on the inner 
or upper side. 
The next division only concerns the upper tier of nuclei. The spindles 
are arranged at right angles to those of the preceding division, as shown in 
Fig. 56. A large number of preparations showed this stage, with the nuclei 
in all stages of mitosis. Cell-walls are now formed between the daughter- 
