and is distinguishable under the microscope by a sort of margination of the frondlets.  In the earliest stage I have looked at, the margin is greenish, striated by narrow cells, and passes into the body of the leaf gradually; the greater development is perhaps central; even now the bulk of the cells of the leaflet have green granules, and are opaque from air.  The vessels are marked out, or at least their future course, and along them the opacity from air does not exist, so that the veins appear depressed.

The next stage presented a greater development of an isolation of the margin, but no other change.  The next presented an isolation of the margin, which remains almost white, the other part being green, but more so because of a thickening as it were along the base of the marginal part, and an evident deposit of grumous matter, from which, under every circumstance new tissue seems always to be developed.  Pressure causes its discharge, its contents were unappreciated by my poor instruments; after this the leaflets revert to the appearance of the second stage.  Here I ceased for the day, having I think ascertained that ferns are endorhizal, and that the primary divisions of the roots hence have sheaths, which adhere to the apex of the root itself.—­What a strange union of roots, that of monocotyledons in the main divisions, and of pure acrogens in the minor!!

I cannot help thinking that the secret is hidden in these ramenta, which, as is known, are so universal as obviously to have higher functions than those of mere covering scales.  The appearance of those I have described as existing about the points of growth, are exactly the same as the processes mixed with the anthers of mosses, and of which the anthers are nothing but more developed growths; this would point out, as indeed appears to me otherwise evident, (especially from consideration of the theca, and its want of style,) that ferns are lower organised as sexual beings than mosses and Hepaticae.  I know nothing of Lycopodineae, more than they are the highest of all acrogens; and are not to be included in the same category with ferns.

The objection to the ramenta being anthers, will be the closed nature (apparently) of the terminal cell, and although the anthers of mosses do burst, and most especially those of Hepaticae, yet the argument is not conclusive—­inasmuch as boyaux, to which they are analogous do not open?

These ramenta explain fully the nature of those confervoid organs found in some Neckerae, and perhaps in other mosses, and it becomes paramount to prove whether these Neckerae have also the usual anthers, or if they are confined to these, in which case a presumptive proof will thus be afforded of their functions:  if they have both forms, they will nevertheless constitute an analogous passage between the two orders:  if they have only these, such Neckerae will form, as indeed they do, a very distinct genus.