Notes on Recent Literature. 
386 
It should be remembered, however, that reduction and speciali¬ 
sation in other characters need not necessarily imply a similar 
reduction in the embryo sac, so that the search should not 
be confined to families which are regarded as primitive in other 
respects. Thus although it is now generally considered that Mono¬ 
cotyledons have been derived from Dicotyledons, 1 they must have 
originated a long time ago, and it may well be that some of them 
may preserve ancient characters which have disappeared from 
existing Dicotyledons—especially as specialisation in vegetative 
characters, such as we find in Monocotyledons, tends to arrest 
development of the other organs. 3 On the whole, one can only say 
that the wider the range of the search, the greater the chance of 
success. 
1 Sargant, 1908, etc. 
2 My thanks are due to Miss Sargant for this suggestion. 
. Campbell’s work on Pandanus (Campbell, 1909), may be 
mentioned in this connection ; it is too incomplete to have 
been taken into consideration in the general discussion. 
Botany School, E. L. STEPHENS 
Cambridge. (Newnham College). 
November, 1909. 
LITERATURE CITED. 
Berridge, E. M. “ The Origin of Triple Fusion.” New Phytologist, 6, p. 279, 
1907. 
Brown, W. H. “The Nature of the Embryo-Sac of Pepevomia .” Bot. Gaz., 
46, p. 445, 1908. 
Campbell, D. H. The Embryo-Sac of Pepevomia pellucida." Ann. Bot., 15, 
p. 103, 1901. 
--. “ Die Entwickelung des Embryosackes von Pepevomia pellucida.' 
Ber. d. deutsch. Bot. Gesell., 17, 1899. 
-. “Studies on the Araceae. The embryo-sac and the embryo of 
Aglaoncma and Spathicarpa .” Ann. Bot. 17, p. 665, 
1903. 
-•. “ Studies on the Araceae, III. Ann. Bot. 19, p. 329, 1905. 
Chodat, R. and Bernard, C. “ Sur le Sac Embryonnaire de VHelosis guaya- 
nensis." Journ. de Botanique, 14, p. 72. 
Cook, M. T. “ Notes on the Embryology of Some Cuban Nymphaeaceae.” 
Bot. Gaz., 48, p. 56, 1909. 
Coulter, J. M. “A Contribution to the Life-History of Ranunculus." Bot. 
Gaz., 25, p. 73, 1898. 
-. “ Relation of Megaspores to Embryo-Sacs in Angiosperms.” 
Bot. Gaz., 45, p. 361, 1908. 
--—-■. “The Embryo-Sac of Gnet-um gnemon. Bot. Gaz , 46, 190S. 
Coulter, J. M. and Chamberlain, C. J. “ Morphology of Angiosperms.” 1903. 
Davis, B. M. “ Studies on the Plant Cell.” American Naturalist, 38, p. 367, 
1904-1905. 
Ernst, A. “ Zur Phylogenie des Embryosackes der Angiospermen.” Ber. d. 
deutsch. Bot. Gesell., 26a, p. 419, 1908 (A). 
-. “ Ergebnisse neuerer Untersuchungen fiber den Embryosack der 
Angiospermen.” Verhandlungen d. schweiz. natur- 
forsch. Gesell., 91, Band 1, 1908 (B). 
Farmer, J. B., and Moore, J. E. S. “On the Maiotic Phase (Reduction 
Divisions) in Animals and Plants.” Quart. Journ. 
Micr. Sci., 48, p. 489, 1905. 
Farmer, J. B., and Digby, L. “ Studies in Apospory and Apogamy in Ferns.” 
Ann. Bot., 21, p. 160, 1907. 
Fischer, A. “ Zur Kenntniss der Embryosackentwicklung einiger Angio¬ 
spermen. Jenaische Zeitschrift filr Naturwissen- 
schaft.” 14, p. 117, 1880. 
Hall, J. G. “An Embryological Study of Limnochavis emavginata." Bot., 
Gaz., 33, p. 214, 1902. 
