630 Griffiths: Axthirus liOREALis Burt 



bcr from one of the largest eggs gatliered. It measured i6 cm. 

 in length. Fully 60 plants were seen during the month ; making 

 allowance for those which decayed unseen, there probably de- 

 veloped 75—100 plants on this small piece of ground. 



Kggs considerably developed possess an enormous amount 

 of vitaHty as evinced by the readiness with which they developed 

 in a moist chamber after being separated from the mycelium. 

 But this Is true to a greater or less degree of many if not all of 

 the phallales. One egg which had lain In a moist chamber for 

 two days was cut In two in a median longitudhial plane one 

 morning at 9 o'clock. The two sections were laid on a white 

 piece of paper with the cut surfaces uppermost and placed In a 

 south window to dry, for the purpose of making herbarium spec- 

 imens of them. Although they remained In the window all day, 

 and In direct sunlight not less than four hours, they elongated 

 during the following night. The cut surfaces of the stipe were 

 dried so that they could not elongate much, but the convex side 

 of the sections elongated to nearly the normal length, and curved 

 around the cut siu'fice mrd<in<>' semicircular fifjures. 



Several methods of preservation were resorted to, but the one 



adopted by Professor Underwood w\as, on the whole, the most 



satlsfactor}', particularly for exhibition purposes ; this consisted in 



stuffing the stipe with cotton and then fixing In 60^0 alcohol. A 



strong solution of formalin, 15-30;^^ gave fairly good results also, 



but a considerable amount of contraction occurred with all of the 

 fixatix'cs used. 



It is fortunate that the plot of ground on which the fungus 

 grew is so favorably situated. It will in all probabilit}' remain in 

 practically the same condition as it Is now for soine time, thus 

 giving an opportunity of studying the plant in the same locality 

 for two or more successive years. It will be interesting to know 

 whether, under favorable circumstances, the plant will appear again 

 in the same locality next year. 



Usually the eggs were found aggregated in groups of two 

 to five. The mycelium was very abundant under the mulching, 

 but the eggs were always more or less imbedded in the ground, and 

 always connected with It by strong mycelial strands. The great 

 variation in size has already been mentioned, but this was not 



