14 Lawson. — -The Gametophytes , Fertilization and 
represented only by nuclei, since there is no cell-wall separating the one 
from the other. It is obvious that this reduction and modification of the 
male gametes of the Coniferales is working along two distinct lines. One of 
these is to reduce and practically eliminate one of the male cells, and the 
other is to reduce the structure of the gametes to nuclei. Inasmuch as the 
nucleus is the essential part of the gamete, the degeneration of one of the 
male cells must be regarded as a recent and highly specialized condition. 
Returning to the conditions found in Cephalotaxus drupacea , it seems 
that very little time elapses between the entrance of the tube-contents and 
the dissolving of the membrane which surrounds the two sperm-nuclei 
within the archegonium. As soon as they are released, one of them 
immediately advances towards the egg-nucleus. When separated from 
each other they become perfectly spherical, and there is no perceptible 
difference in their size, shape, or in the structure of the chromatin ; indeed, 
it is quite impossible to determine which one is destined to unite with 
the egg-nucleus until one of them approaches the latter. In one case 
I observed the two sperm-nuclei in touch with the female nucleus, but 
whether there was ever an actual triple fusion I was unable to determine. 
In a large number of preparations I was able to see but one of the sperm- 
nuclei functioning ; the second one invariably remained behind, near the 
neck-cells. Arnoldi (’00) reports that the functionless sperm-nucleus in 
Cephalotaxus Fortunei may give rise to several smaller nuclei by dividing 
amitotically. I was unable to confirm this for C. drupacea. In one case, 
during a pro-embryo stage, I found the second sperm-nucleus in the 
upper part of the archegonium, apparently having undergone no division 
whatever. 
As shown in Fig. 29, the path taken by the advancing sperm-nucleus 
may be followed by the vacuole-like track in its rear. From the fact that 
the cytoplasm has not closed in around it as it advances towards the female 
nucleus, its movement is evidently a rapid one. It enlarges slightly as it 
approaches the egg-nucleus, and at the time of contact it is about one-third 
the size of the latter. Fig. 30 shows the sperm-nucleus in contact with the 
egg-nucleus. As shown in this figure and those following, the conditions 
are similar to those which occur in Pinus and other Abietineae. The sperm- 
nucleus does not break through the membrane of the egg-nucleus, but forces 
its way into the latter without losing any of its almost spherical form. 
Fig. 31 shows the male nucleus almost inside of the female, while the male 
cytoplasm partially envelops them both. The second male nucleus may 
be seen in the neck region of the egg-cytoplasm. Fig. 32 shows a little 
later condition ; here the functioning sperm-nucleus has enlarged slightly, 
and the chromatin in the egg-nucleus has undergone a change. Fig. 33 
shows the fusing nuclei more highly magnified. It will be seen from these 
figures that there is a very obvious difference in the structure of the 
