308 



VI., of Brcfeld's '' Untersuchungen aus dem Gesammtgebiete 

 der Mycologie/' Heft VIII, a figure which closely resembles the 

 structure of the hymenuim in Michencra Artocrcas, This is a fig- 

 ure o{ Nyctalis parasitica, the nature of whose '*chlamydospores/' 

 has been considered a matter of some doubt. 



Basidia and spores have been described as being produced 

 by Michoura Artocreas, In the hymenia, the only spores which 

 I have ever seen were those flask-shaped conidia which I have 

 already described. I have seen no traces either of basidia which 

 had not yet developed sufficiently to bear spores, or of old basidia 

 whicli had ceased to be spore-bearing. Yet on some specimens, 

 growHig near the Michencra, but, so far as I have observed, never 

 connected with it, are often found large, low, flat hymenia in 

 which at proper times basidia and spores are produced. These 

 hjmienia have attained their large size by the confiuence of sev- 

 eral small ones. This a rather common occurrence In the Cor- 

 ticia. In these hymenia the spores are large, oval, granular, 

 and borne on long, slender sterigmata which spring from thin- 

 walled basidia. The paraphyses, though slender are somewhat 

 club-shaped, Instead of filamentous like those o{ Michcucra Arto- 

 creas. In all these respects the hymenia are Cortlclum-like, 

 It is not now possible to assert positively tliat these hymenia 

 have no organic connection with those which undoubtedly 

 belong to the Michencra; for it is always a difficult matter 

 to trace a mycelium continuously for more than a short distance. 

 But it is my opinion, formed after carefiil examination of the 

 specimens at my disposal, that the mycelium which produces 

 hymenia in which are basidial spores, is not continuous with that 

 which sends up hymenia in which are the spores borne In flask- 

 shaped mother-cells. I believe that those hymenia whicli con- 

 tain basidia and basidial spores are, as they seem to be, the 

 hymenia of some species of Corticiunij and that they have noth- 

 ing whatever to do with MicJiencra Artocrcas. 



Never having seen, in any hymcnium which was undoubtedly 

 one of Michencra Artocreas, any traces of basidia or of spores 

 which looked as if they might have been borne on basidia, I am 

 led to believe that the basidial stage o{ Michencra Artocrcas either 

 does not exist at all, or that it is so completely replaced by the 



