M. C. Montague's Sketch of the Class Fungi. 107 



XI 11. — Organographic and Physiologic Sketch of the Class 

 Fungi, by C. Montagne, D.M. Extracted from ' Histoire 

 physique^ politique et naturelle de Pile de Cuba/ par M. Ra- 

 mon DE LA Sagra, and translated and illustrated with 

 short 7iotes by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, M.A., F.L.S. 



[Continued from p. 10.] 



Gasteromycetes, Fr. 



A SIMPLE or compound receptacle (peridium, uterus), formed by 

 the union of cells or interlaced filaments, presents the essential cha- 

 racter of this family, which, like the preceding, is divided into two 

 grand sections, Angiogastres and Trichospermce . 



The Angiogastres are at once distinguished by having their spo- 

 ridia, which are never pulverulent, contained either in mucilaginous 

 generally foetid matter, itself enclosed in a general peridium {Phal- 

 loidece), or in partial receptacles formed by folds of the common 

 receptacle (Tuberacea), or lastly in proper peridia, named sporangia, 

 and included in a common peridium (Nidulariacece) . 



Not only all the genera of this first subdivision, but almost all the 

 Gasteromycetes, are characterized in their young state by a consist- 

 ence approaching more or less to mucilage. If the whole fungus 

 does not offer this character, some one of its parts does. 



The Trichospermce differ principally from Angiogastres in having 

 their sporidia free and pulverulent, mixed with simple or complex 

 filaments. This grand section of Gasteromycetes itself presents 

 three remarkably distinct forms : 1 . Myxogastres, whose peridium 

 is organized from mucilage, of which at first the whole fungus con- 

 sists. 2. Trichodermacece, in which this organ from the beginning 

 is formed of more or less intimately interlaced filaments. 3. Lyco- 

 perdines, which present a peridium or receptacle at first fleshy, then 

 coriaceous, into the composition of which enter either cells, or felted 

 fibres. We are going to study the successive changes of the recep- 

 tacle and sporidia, in the whole series of the genera of this family, 

 proceeding from the simplest forms to the most complex. 



In the Myxogastres, which, as said above, consist in infancy, 

 without exception, of a diffluent mucilage of various form and colour, 

 we observe, in proportion as this gelatinous medium acquires con- 

 sistence, either that a crust is formed common to the whole mass 

 divided within into cells, or that a larger or smaller number of indi- 

 viduals separate from it, and are associated on a common stroma. 

 This stroma, which is also called hypothallus, is formed by the 

 extremely thin membranous residue of the gelatinous mass from 

 whence the peridia spring. In the first case, a single peridium is 

 produced, which may be regarded as a common peridium, if we con- 

 sider the inner cells as partial peridia soldered together ; or in the 

 second, each individual has its own peridium, resulting from the 

 concretion of the mucilage. This peridium, sessile or stipitate, is 

 composed of one or more membranous, papyraceous, or crustaceous 

 coats. In some cases, if there are two, the outer is crustaceous 



