354 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



KU;. 127. An<Uiti-i<i x< ixiruln. Development of 

 adnntp gills. A, very young fruit-body of 

 which B is a section. C, D. and E, other stages 

 in succession. The long axes of the gills do not 

 undergo a large movement just before spore- 

 discharge begins. The mottling of the gills 

 and the discharge of a stream of spores are 

 also shown in hand K. Natural si/.c. 



The observations were 

 made with the horizontal 

 microscope in the manner 

 -In) \vnin Fig. 92 (p. 263). 

 First, the length of time 

 required for the discharge 

 of all the four spores of a 

 single basidium, counting 

 from the discharge of 

 the first spore, was noted. 

 As a rule, it was found 

 to be about five minutes, 

 as in Stropharia semi- 

 globata. Taking the time 

 of discharge of the first 

 spore as zero, the times 

 for the discharge of the 

 other three spores in one 

 particular basidium were 

 as given in the Table on 

 the opposite page. 



At the moment when 

 a basidium discharged its 

 last spore, the time was 

 noted. The basidium- 

 body with its four sterig- 

 mata could still be seen 

 projecting from the 

 hymenium. For some 

 fifteen to twenty minutes 

 the turgidity of the 

 basidium-body appeared 

 to be unimpaired, but 

 at the end of this time 

 collapse took place in a 

 few seconds. The four 

 sterigmata fell inwards 



