PEINGSHEIM’s JAHEBUCHEE. 
519 
by a one-sided growth of the lateral surface of the vegetative cell, 
similar to what takes place in the ramification of Confervse, and, looking 
down from the top of the pseudo-leaf, the protruded part is seen pro¬ 
jecting beyond the base of the latter. The vegetative cell, having 
thus protruded itself, gradually assumes an upward growth, by which 
the pseudo-leaf is pushed a little aside from its originally terminal 
position, and the basal wall of the vegetative cell becomes inclined. 
During this growth the vegetative cell divides (according to the nor¬ 
mal mode of division of the vegetative cells of Chara-shoots) by 
septa at right angles to the line of growth : the direction of this line 
gradually changes from a horizontal to a vertical one, and the position 
of the successive septa changes with it, the first being vertical or 
nearly so, the second somewhat inclined, the third more so, and the 
horizontal position being usually attained by the fourth. 
The first three of the cells formed by these septa lie almost en¬ 
tirely or for the most part underneath the base of the pseudo-leaf. 
Their nature is peculiar, and without diagrams it is impossible to enter 
into the details of their subsequent growth. We can only state 
generally that they become immediately transformed into imperfect 
nodes, the peripheral cells of which grow out and form imperfect 
leaflets ; and thus the growing apex of the vegetative cell becomes 
surrounded by a circle of leaf-like organs, which do not all spring 
from the same node, and which are of different sizes, the pseudo¬ 
leaf itself being the largest of the whorl. 
It w T ould occupy too much space to enter into any particulars of 
the abnormalities and monstrosities which have been observed to 
occur in the pseudo-leaf and other organs above described ; but Dr. 
Pringsheim’s remarks upon the germination of the spores must not 
be passed over. 
It has been observed that the germinating spore produces what 
the author calls a proembryo, from whose leafless nodes (as in the case 
of the proembryonal shoots) the leafy shoots are afterwards produced. 
This proembryo is terminated by a pseudo-leaf; its first node pro¬ 
duces a number of barefooted shoots, and in short it resembles sub¬ 
stantially in every respect the pro-embryonal shoots above described. 
We have thus endeavoured to give, as concisely as was consistent 
with clearness, the main results of Dr. Pringsheim’s observations : 
they will be of great interest to cryptogamic botanists, and embody 
a discovery of considerable physiological importance. The obvious 
conclusion deduced by the author is that a close relationship subsists 
between the Charge and the Mosses. He says : “ In addition to the 
“ form of the spermatozoa and of the rudiments of the fruit, in 
“ which the Charge come so near to the Mosses, there is now to be 
“ added the similarity in the origin of the leafy shoots from buds 
“ which are produced upon confervoid leafless proembryos.” And 
again: “ The complete morphological correspondence between the 
“ proembryos of Charge and Mosses is manifested most clearly by 
“ the proembryonal shoots of the former. Por amongst all leafy 
“ plants it is only on the stem and leaves of Mosses that we find 
