i8 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



interlamellar space. Into one such air- filled space the basidia were 

 projecting freely. One of the basidia bore four spores which were 

 just beginning their development (Fig. 9, A). From the hilum 

 of one of the spores a tiny drop of water was excreted (A), which 

 quickly grew larger (B), until in a few minutes it had reached a 

 relatively enormous size (C). The drop thus precociously excreted 

 was larger in volume than the basidium itself. The basidium did 

 not alter in size during the excretion. We must therefore suppose 

 that as much water flowed into the basidium from neighbouring 



FIG. 8. -Psalliota campestris (cultivated form). A, B, C, and D, stages 

 in the abnormal excretion of water from the hila of two spores of a 

 basidium. A, one drop is of normal size, the other larger than 

 normal ; the latter has stepped up on to the side of the spore. B, 

 the drops have grown larger and both are now adherent to the sides 

 of the spores. C, the drops have touched, and have united to form 

 one drop which has dragged the spores toward one another. D, 

 the drop has continued to increase in size and has now become 

 globular, thus enclosing the two spores. Magnification, 880. 



cells as was excreted at the top of the sterigma. Normal discharge 

 of a spore of Lepiota cepaestipes is shown in Fig. 9 at D, E, and F. 

 At E the drop has reached its maximum size. The next moment 

 the spore is discharged and the sterigma is left vacant, as is 

 represented at F. 



Certain other remarks upon the abnormal excretion of water 

 by basidia just prior to spore-discharge will be made in Volume IV 

 in the course of a comparison of the discharge of basidiospores in the 

 Hymenomycetes and the Uredineae. 



The Chemical Constituents of the Drop.- The largest drops 

 which I have yet seen are those excreted from the hila of the large 

 spores of Coprinus sterquilinus, but their diameter is only 0-005 mm. 

 The t y are so excessively minute and have such a brief existence 



