572 ON THE PLURALITY AND DEVELOPMENT

by a similar rudiment, and these lateral embryoniferousbranches not unfrequently consist of a single vessel or cell,while the embryo of the trunk or principal branch is asgenerally derived from more than one.

That each of those opake bodies terminating the trunkand branches of the funiculi are really rudimentary embryos,is proved by tracing them from their absolutely simple stateto that in which the divisions of the lower extremity be-come visible, and those again into the perfect cotyledons.

The results of this investigation in its present incom-plete state are, 1st, that the plurality of rudimentaryembryos in Pinus (and probably in other Coniferee) is notonly constant, but much greater than could well have beenimagined independent of actual observation ; each impreg-nated ovulum not only containing several distinct funiculi,but each funiculus being capable of producing severalembryos. In the ripe seed, however, it is a rare occur-rence to find more than one of these embryos perfected.

2ndly. That an embryo in Conferee may originate inone or in more than one cell or vessel even in the samecord; and it also appears that the lower extremity of thefuniculus, the seat of the future embryo, is originally in norespect different from the rest of its substance.

The greater part of the appearances now described arerepresented in the accompanying Plate.

372] April 20, 1844.

Postscript. —It is necessary to notice the recent publi-cation of a very important memoir by MM. de Mirbel andSpach on the development of the embryo in Coniferce}

These excellent observers confirm the principal state-ments of the preceding essay, with the brief abstract ofwhich only they were acquainted.

They have also extended the investigation to Thuja andTaxus , two genera which I had not examined, and inwhich, especially in the latter, the structure appears to be re-

1 Annales des Sc. Nat. 2 serie, November 1843.