418 DR. D. D. CUNNINGHAM ON THE CONIDIAL 
greatly in size, even within the same sporangium, ranging from 0:02 x 0:013 millim, 
to 0:013 x 0:009 millim.. When mature they generally present a more or less marked 
ovate form, one extremity being narrow and pointed, or slightly truncate, the other evenly 
rounded (fig, 10). They are of a rich brown colour, which is mainly due to the exospore, 
but which is intensified by the yellowish colour of the protoplasm. It is worthy of 
notice that the protoplasm is sometimes evenly diffused, while at others it is more or less 
aggregated into two distinct masses, one towards either extremity of the cell. 
When sown in decoction of Hibiscus, the first change observed in the spores is à 
general diffusion of the protoplasm where this has been aggregated and a commence- 
ment of protoplasmic streaming; at the same time the cell increases somewhat in size, 
swelling out so as to assume a more or less rounded outline, and, finally, one or two 
germinal tubes are emitted, which soon begin to ramify in the fluid. "This is all that 
I have been able to observe regarding their development save in one instance ; in all the 
others the growth of the mycelium was rapidly arrested. As in the case of that de- 
veloped from the poorer types of the conidial fructification, the mycelial filaments soon ` 
ceased to grow, and rapidly passed on to decomposition. In the exceptional case where | 
this did not occur, the decoction in which the spores were sown was a very strong one, 
The spores germinated freely, producing a vigorous mycelium, which at the close of 
twenty-four hours was covered with a crop of well-developed polycapitellar conidial ` 
heads. : 
The fourth form of reproductive bodies belonging to Choanephora consists of true ` 
chlamydospores. These appear to occur much less frequently than any of the other 
forms of fructification. The only occasion on which they were observed was in a ek 
tivation of the conidia of the naturally developed plant. In this case the decoction 
employed wasa very weak one. The mycelium was very rapidly arrested in its growth p 
in fact in some cases no mycelium was formed, the germinal tube immediately on its. 
exit from the conidium proceeding to form a chlamydospore. Whether formed in the ` 
course of mycelial filaments, or arising directly from conidia, the chlamydospores had ` 
the same characters. They were broadly fusiform in outline, and varied considerably 
in size (fig. 18). On an average they measured about 0:03 x 0:016 millim. They con- ` 
sisted of a mass of highly refractive finely molecular or clouded protoplasm, and stood 
out very conspicuously among the empty and collapsed filaments within which they were 
contained (figs. 17, 18). "Their further development was not observed. 
_ According to the observations detailed above, Choanephora is a genus of Mucorin 2 
fungi capable of producing four distinct forms of fructifieation. Of these, one is the | 
result of an undoubted sexual process, while the remaining three are produced by the 
differentiation of portions of the general protoplasmie constituents filling the filame 
of the plant. The following is a tabular statement of the forms of reproductive bodies :— - 
L SOWN eebe -> >- T. s sri Di serie 
Bang feuctiligation eet «samen EE 
Chlamydospores. 
| The Speer. and d clam dospori FER bodies See t to, be more nal 
