Morphology. 1 3 



is very general, whereas the asexual or gonidial method 

 is often by no means pronounced, and in numerous 

 cases is not known to exist at all. It has already 

 been stated that the sexual organs of reproduction in 

 ilie Pero7iosporece are promiscuously scattered amongst 

 the cells of the vegetative hjphee, and do not originate 

 from differentiated hypha3 constituting a sporophore. 

 In the gill-bearing fungi and the puffballs, which 

 are respectively typical of the extremes of differentia- 

 tion from primitive algal-like fungi, the sexual mode 

 of reproduction is entirely absent, the asexual, gonidial 

 form alone remaining, and produced on a very highly 

 specialized sporophore, the mycelium being function- 

 ally and morphologically unchanged during the evo- 

 lution of the reproductive portion. The above state- 

 ments, pointing to what changes the individuality of 

 the group of fungi are due, may be summarized as 

 follows : — 



1. The complete obliteration of the sexual mode of 



reproduction, so very conspicious in the lower 

 or alcjfal-like funo-i. 



2. The excessive development of the asexual mode 



of reproduction, which is either entirely absent 

 or of secondary importance in the lower fungi. 



3. The gradual development of a highly complex 



sporophore, which usually constitutes the great 

 bulk of the individual, whereas in the algal-like 

 fungi the sporophore is barely, if at all, 

 differentiated from the vegetative portion. 



From the above it will be seen that' differentiation 

 has been almost entirely confined to the reproductive 



