Morphology, 1 7 



fungus were cut into small pieces and placed at once 

 in absolute alcohol, where they remained until 

 thoroughly penetrated; sections were then cut, and 

 afterwards stained in very dilute solution of 

 Kleinenberg's hgematoxylin in water. The sections 

 were left in this solution until considerably overstained, 

 and then placed in a dilute solution of acid alcohol made 

 by adding a few drops of strong hydrochloric acid to a 

 beaker of 70 per cent, alcohol. The sections were 

 then washed successively in 70, 90, and 100 per cent, 

 alcohol, then transferred to turpentine until quite clear 

 and transparent, and finally mounted in Canada balsam. 



It is true that Wager^s sections were cut with a 

 Cambridge ribbon-section-cutting-machine, and in 

 many cases were only about -g-oVo ^^ ^^ '\nQ^ in thick- 

 ness, yet in repeating the work along the lines given 

 above, I find that very good preparations can be 

 obtained even when the sections are cut by hand with 

 a razor. 



Calcium oxalate, in the form of needle-shaped 



crystals, regular quadrate octahedra, or minute 



amorphous particles, is of very frequent occurrence 



in fungi, forming thin incrustations or a pulverulent, 



glistening layer on the sporophore, in the tissues, or 



sometimes on the strands of mycelium. This lime is 



probably taken up by fungi as calcium nitrate in 



solution, and the fact that calcic oxalate is most 



abundant in species of fungi that grow on dung, 



supports this idea. So long as the calcic oxalate is 



in the cells it is held in solution, and is conveyed to 



the surface by water, which, during the active period 



of growth, escapes from the ordinary hyphae, or 



C 



