io Lawson . — The Gametophytes , Fertilization and 
in number, as development progresses, and eventually each mature 
archegonium is completely clothed by a single layer of them. In her 
description of the jacket-cells for Torreya californica , Miss Robertson 
(’04) merely states that they are more rich in protoplasm than their 
neighbours and have conspicuous nuclei. For Torreya taxifolia Coulter 
and Land (’05) report that the jacket-cells do not make their appearance 
until after fertilization, and even then they are not well organized. In 
Cephalotaxus the jacket is a constant and striking feature of the archegonia 
from the very early stages until they become disorganized by the develop- 
ing embryo. In view of the fact that Arnoldi (’00) has described and 
elaborately figured the passage of jacket-cell nuclei through the wall 
and into the egg-cytoplasm, the behaviour and character of these cells 
demanded considerable attention. After a careful and detailed study 
I was unable to detect any evidence of nuclear transference or any 
indications of perforations in the cell-walls through which the nuclei 
might pass. The nuclei of the jacket-cells, to all appearances, were 
perfectly normal and active until the disorganization of the archegonium 
by the developing embryo. The so-called ‘ proteid vacuoles ’ were observed 
in the egg-cytoplasm some considerable time before fertilization, and 
during the period of the actual fusion of the male and female nuclei they 
were particularly abundant. As to their origin I am unable to speak, 
but it seems highly improbable that they have any direct relationship 
to the nuclei of the jacket-cells. There is not a common jacket for the 
group of archegonia as occurs in Cryptomeria (Arnoldi, ’01 ; Lawson, ’04) 
and other Cupressineae, but each archegonium is surrounded by its own 
single layer of nourishing cells, as shown in Figs. 16 and 24. In this regard 
they more nearly resemble the conditions occurring in the Abietineae. 
Previous to the division of the central nucleus the cytoplasm of 
the archegonium is finely granular and contains numerous vacuoles of 
various sizes. These latter become so numerous as to give a frothy 
appearance to the whole mass of cytoplasm. Mr. Boodle tells me he 
finds identically the same condition in C. Fortanei . A very similar ap- 
pearance has also been figured for the young archegonium of Picea by 
Miyake (’03). The nucleus during this period takes up its position directly 
under the neck-cells as indicated in Fig. 17. The chromatin is in the 
spireme condition and there is generally present one and frequently 
two nucleoli. The nucleus remains in this position during the period 
of its mitosis, which gives rise to the ventral canal nucleus and egg-nucleus. 
In this connexion it is worthy of note that Coulter and Land (’05) were 
unable to detect a ventral canal-cell or nucleus in Torreya taxifolia , 
and express it as their opinion that a division of the central nucleus in this 
species does not occur. Miss Robertson (’04), on the other hand, reports 
that in Torreya californica she was able to detect two archegonia with 
