244 Campbell ’ — On the development 
melted paraffin. As a staining agent haematoxylin was used 
to some extent, but the best results were had with safranin 
and gentian-violet, the latter especially giving particularly 
beautiful coloring, the nuclei being much better differentiated 
than with the other colors h 
The spore is filled with protoplasm, in which are contained 
numerous starch-granules of various sizes, as well as oil-globules 
and granules of albuminous nature. The larger starch-granules 
are oval in form, and show more or less distinct concentric 
striation. Sections through the spores that have been treated 
with alcohol or some other fixing agent show a reticulated 
arrangement of the contents, and sometimes portions separate 
in the form of small vesicles, surrounded by a thin protoplasmic 
membrane. These vesicles probably represent vacuoles in 
the living spore. The upper part of the spore is filled with 
denser protoplasm, which also shows a reticulated structure, 
but with much finer meshes. This part (Plate XIII, Fig. 22) is 
almost completely free from starch-granules, and in the middle 
lies the nucleus, which is large and separated from the 
surrounding plasma by a clearly-marked membrane. It is 
discoid in form, strongly flattened above, and more or less 
undulate on the upper surface. Whether this latter peculiarity 
is in any way due to the reagents used cannot be determined, 
as it is quite impossible to make out the nucleus in the living 
spore. On account of its large size the nucleus is readily 
divided into sections in sectioning the spore, so that the 
interior structure is easily studied. It does not appear 
homogeneous (Plate XIII, Fig. 22 b), but is filled with numerous 
fine granules which act with reference to staining agents much 
like the surrounding protoplasm, and also form an indistinct 
net-work. The amount of chromatin is relatively very small, 
the chromatin-bodies being few and occupying only a very small 
part of the nucleus. They stain readily and deeply, the rest 
of the nucleus staining but little. No nucleolus was detected. 
The spore, on being placed in water, begins to germinate 
1 See Moll’s article on the paraffin-imbedding process in the Botanical Gazette 
for January, 1888. 
