Developments of the Oophyte in Trichomanes. 275 
length, it is impossible to speak definitely as to the distribution 
of the sexual organs, though my impression is that the species 
is dioecious. 
The mature antheridium is a shortly-stalked body with 
a round head (Fig. 9, D) ; the stalk consists of a single cell, 
cut off by a septum from the cell of the filament which 
produced it, but the septum is often slightly above the actual 
point of insertion on the filament (Fig. 9, B, C, E). The head 
consists of a peripheral layer of tabular cells, which encloses a 
spherical mass of mother-cells of the spermatozoids (sperma- 
tocytes) ; these show characters similar to those of other Ferns, 
and have been seen to escape through a rupture near the apex 
of the antheridium. The spermatozoids have not been seen 
in motion. In point of development and succession of cell- 
divisions, the antheridium. as seen in optical section, shows some 
similarity to that of other Ferns ; thus, after the spherical head 
is partitioned off from the stalk, a central cell is cut off from 
those which go to form the peripheral layer, by walls arranged 
as seen in optical section in Fig. 9, B, C. The actual position 
and succession of these walls is somewhat difficult to define. 
Observations of the young antheridium in the solid (i.e. from 
without, as in Fig. 9, E, F) point against the formation of a 
funnel-shaped wall, such as is described for the antheridia 
of most Ferns 1 ; it would rather appear that segments, 
without any definite order of succession, are cut off by 
obliquely anticlinal and convex walls (Fig. 9, B) ; that these 
are succeeded by a dome-shaped periclinal wall (Fig. 9, C) ; 
the outer cell thus cut off may further divide by irregularly 
arranged walls (Fig. 9, E, F) into cells, which are indefinite in 
number and form. The appearance represented in Fig. 9, E, 
and to some extent also in F, would suggest at first sight 
a succession of segments cut off from a wedge-shaped apical 
cell ; but young antheridia seen in optical section do not support 
this view (Fig. 9, B, C). Comparing these results with those 
obtained by Cramer 2 in his presumable Trichomanes , it will 
1 Kny, in Monatsbr. der Kongl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1869. Id. Prings, Jahrb. 
1872 ; etc. 2 1. c. Taf. i. Fig. 9 ant 
