and its relation to that in the Animal Kingdom. 243 



at the time when the spores are ripe. Klotzsch* calls them 

 anthers, and believes that he has observed that the spores which 

 come in contact with these utricles are more certain to germi- 

 nate. The majority of recent inquirers regard these structures 

 as forms representing stages of development of the basidiaf. 

 Berkeley J calls them 'utricles/ Leveille§ gives them the name 

 of ' cystidia/ We shall immediately examine his view of their 

 import. 



In his "Disposition methodique des especes du genre Ery- 

 sipheWf'' the last-named savan expresses the opinion that the 

 cystidia of other Fungi are represented by the cells which 

 rise from the mycelium in longitudinal rows, as jointed filaments 

 {spores articulees, Lev.; filaments sporiferes {Oidium), Bornet) 

 supported on branches of the mycelium {pedicellis) , and which, 

 from separating readily, like the cells of Oidium, fall on the 

 mycelium, and give this a pulverulent aspect. He conjectures 

 that these cells are destined to fecundate the subsequently de- 

 veloped conceptacula (peridia)%. Although far from regarding 

 the granules of the contents of these cells, which likewise exhibit 

 molecular motion, as spermatozoids, yet he sees, in the relative 

 time and order of development of these and the conceptacles, 

 and the circumstance that enduring rain, which washes these 

 cells from the mycelium, or continued heat, which dries them 

 up, produces barrenness of these Fungi, — sufficient ground to 

 support his conjecture. The words with which he concludes his 

 exposition appear to me so characteristic of the present state of 

 the question, and the mode in which it is usually treated, that 

 I cannot refrain from quoting them here** : — 



" The Fungi have been considered as asexual plants, and there 

 is really no proof that they have sexual organs. But it is not 

 long since the Mgse were also regarded as asexual plants. The 

 beautiful researches of MM. Decaisne and Thuret have taught 

 us that these plants are not only furnished with male and female 



* Dietrich's Flora der Konigreich. Preussen, Band vi. (Vide Schleiden, 

 Grundzuge der wiSs. Botanik, 3rd edit. ii. p. 40.) (Principles of Botany 

 (London), p. 156.) 



t Vide Tulasne, Ann. des Sc. nat. 3 ser. xx. p. 173, note 2 (1853). 



X Berkeley, on the Fructification of the Pileate and Clavate Tribes of 

 Hymenomycetous Fungi. Annals of Nat. Hist. i. p. 81 et seq. 



§ Leveille, Recherches sur rHyraeniumdes Champignons. Ann. des Sc. 

 nat. 2 ser. viii. pp. 325, 326 et seq. (1837). 



II Ann. des Sc. nat. 3 se'r. xv. p. 109 (1851). 



i[ Lindley, Berkeley, Fresenius, Amici and Tulasne have seen these 

 cells germinate, and regard them as brood-cells. Tulasne, Qusedam do 

 Erysiphis animadversioncs. Bot. Zeit. 1853, p. 259-60. [Also Nouv. Obs. 

 sur VErysiphe. Ann. des Sc. nat. 4 ser. vi. p. 299 (1856). — A. II.] 



** hoc. cit.]). 119. 



16* 



