The Scottish Naturalist. 



67 



male in their nature, and possessed of fecundative properties, 

 and other cells, e, e, e, named basidia, which carry the spores. 

 The spores are borne on short branches, termed spicules, seen 

 at F, F, F, and the spores in various stages of growth may be 

 seen at g, g, g. 



The spores in all the Mushroom tribe are produced in clusters 

 of four on each basidium, but on the common Mushroom and 

 all its varieties, as far as I have seen, these four spores are 

 generally produced two at a time, and, as the first two drop off 

 the last two appear, so that it is seldom that more than two are 

 seen iji situ at the same time. The two new spores pushing 

 the two old ones oif their branches is illustrated on the 

 lower part of Fig. II. 



This phenomenon teaches a valuable lesson, and one which has, 

 as I conceive, been quite erroneously interpreted by Professor 

 Sachs {Handbook, p. 251), who says the common Mushroom 

 only produces two spores on each basidium, and so illustrates 

 the subject in his fig. 174. 



The diagram Fg. III. (enlarged 1500 diameters), illustrates 



.'^^ 



Fig. III. — DEVELOPMENT OF SPORES IN THE MUSHROOM : X 1500 DIAM 



what I believe to be the true explanation of the development 

 of the spores in the common Mushroom, and potentially 

 in all the Mushroom tribe. The diagram illustrates the 

 development of a single basidium with its spores ; the upper 

 figures of the latter cut show the basidium as seen from the 

 side, the lower figures the basidium as seen from the top. 



The ceils of the Mushroom increase in number by transverse 

 partitions which divide each cell into two. The last-formed 

 cell repeats the process continuously till the fungus is complete. 



