490 Campbell ' — The Development of 
when the latter were received they were placed under bell- 
jars to keep them fresh. The moisture started the Liverworts 
into growth, and their peculiar form at once attracted atten- 
tion. When first seen, they were little fan-shaped fimbriated 
shoots, entirely different in appearance from any Liverwort 
with which the writer was acquainted. Further investigation 
revealed the presence of peculiar tubers, almost completely 
buried in the ground, from which these green shoots were 
evidently derived. A number of these were kept growing 
and developed imperfect reproductive organs, but these 
belated shoots did not develop in an entirely normal manner. 
A considerable number of the tubers were allowed to dry 
in the earth where they had been growing, and were kept in 
this condition through the summer. In the autumn some 
of these were placed in water and germinated promptly. 
Repeated plantings were then made from time to time, and 
a good supply of normally developed plants was secured 
which made it possible to trace through the life-history of 
this interesting form with a fair degree of completeness, 
although a few points, notably the germination of the spores 
and the later stages of the embryogeny, were not as com- 
pletely made out as might have been wished, owing to the 
limited amount of material. The results of these observations 
are given here, together with the conclusions based upon 
them as to the systematic position of Geothallus . 
Germination of the Tubers. 
The tubers, to which reference has already been made, 
constitute one of the most characteristic features of the plant. 
My attention has been called to a reference by Leitgeb 1 to 
what seem to be similar structures in the genus Petalo - 
phyllum , but no account was given of their structure or 
development. The thallus of Petalophyllum 2 is also said to 
be partially buried in sandy soil like that of Geothallus. 
1 Leitgeb, Untersuchungen liber die Lebermoose, iii. p. 126. 
2 Schiffner, Hepaticae, in Engler and Prantl, Die Natiirlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 
9h 9 2 > P- 59 - 
