Embryo of Cephalotaxus drupacea. 1 1 
the central nucleus in process of division. In Cephalotaxus drupacea there 
can be no doubt of the division of the central nucleus and the organization 
of the ventral canal nucleus. I was not only able to find numerous cases 
showing the ventral canal nucleus (Fig. 23) but also a series of stages clearly 
showing the formation of the spindle. 
The first indication of the division of the central nucleus is the usual 
enlargement and the condensation of the chromatin thread for the 
organization of definite chromosomes. During this period of changes within 
the nucleus, the cytoplasm surrounding it becomes quite dense, and 
kinoplasmic fibrils soon make their appearance. Fig. 18 represents 
a stage when the nuclear membrane is partly broken down and the fibrils 
of the young spindle are quite visible, although the general contour of 
the nucleus is still retained. Fig. 19 shows a little older stage more highly 
magnified. Here the elongated chromosomes are clearly defined and 
one of the poles of the spindle is already indicated by the drawing out 
and converging of the fibrils towards a definite point. I was unable to 
detect any differentiated areas of cytoplasm which would even suggest 
the presence of centrospheres, and feel confident that the spindle is formed 
in the manner which prevails among the Angiosperms. 
Fig. 20 shows this spindle with the chromosomes at the poles, and 
Fig. 21 shows the same stage more highly magnified. Being the last 
mitosis in the history of the female gametophyte it will be interesting 
to compare the chromatin with that of the first mitosis of the sporophyte 
which immediately follows fertilization, and which is represented in Fig. 35. 
This, however, will be touched upon again when we describe the details 
of fertilization. Suffice it to say that the chromosomes are very long 
bodies and that these are, as nearly as could be estimated, ten in number. 
As shown in Fig. 21, the continuous fibrils of the spindle persist 
between the two masses of chromatin for some little time. It is these 
fibrils which, in some Conifers, take part in the organization of the cell-plate 
which separates the ventral canal-cell from the egg. In Cephalotaxus these 
fibrils completely disappear without forming a membrane. A ventral 
canal membrane is developed in Pinus (Blackman, ’98 ; Coulter and 
Chamberlain, ’01 ; Ferguson, ’ 01 ), Tsuga (Murrill, ’ 00 ), Pice a and Abies 
(Miyake, ' 03 ). As in many other Conifers, the ventral canal-cell in 
Cephalotaxus is represented only by the nucleus. As indicated in Fig. 22, 
the egg-nucleus and the ventral nucleus are practically identical as to size 
and shape. For a short time they occupy a position, one above the other, 
in the neck region of the archegonium. There seemed to be no special 
differentiation of the cytoplasm about either of them. There was not 
a trace of a membrane formed at any time. In fact, I feel tolerably certain 
none is formed. In this respect Cephalotaxus resembles Juniperus (Stras- 
burger, 79 ), Thuja (Land, ’0.2), Taxodium (Coker, ’ 03 ), Cryptomeria (Lawson, 
