A New Irish Ftmgus. 275 



the whole construction of the fungus. We find, as before stated, 

 the stalk composed of parallel brown hyphse with numerous 

 partitions, or ** septa " as they are technically called. I^et me 

 explain, however, the term ''hyphae" which may possibly prove 

 a stumbling-block to some of my readers. The name ** hypha " 

 is given to the " threads " of which most fungi are constructed. 

 These "threads" are said to constitute or make up the 

 " mycelium." They are not, however, really threads, but only 

 seem threadlike when insufficiently magnified. Under a fairly 

 high power they are little pipes or tubes composed of a trans- 

 parent outer wall made of cellulose or something very like it 

 (cellulose is the material in the cell-walls of the higher, green 

 plants), and jelly-like granular contents, which are living 

 ** protoplasm." The protoplasm contains numerous very 

 minute bodies of another nature called nuclei. These also are 

 living — in fact they constitute the centres of the life of the 

 cell. The tubes or hyphse are divided by cross-partitions or 

 " septa " into long compartments. Each compartment is a 

 " cell." Fungi are made up of strings of lengthy cells pressed 

 or woven together so as to form variously-shaped masses. 



I hope I have now made these matters of detail pretty clear, 

 and will go on with the description of our new fungus. The 

 hyphse, of which the stalk is made up, are loosely compacted 

 and interwined, and at their upper ends they open out, so to 

 speak, into the head, dividing repeatedly into two (** forking")* 

 so as to make up the solid mass of branches of which the 

 head is composed. The terminal branches are much paler 

 in colour than those from which they spring, and are divided 

 by very thick partitions into strings of cubical cells. Such a 

 string is seen highly magnified in figure 3, and it is these 

 curious jointed rows of cubical or barrel-shaped cells which 

 give the fungus its characteristic appearance. Of what 

 significance are these cell-rows ? it may fairly be asked. Are 

 they of any use ? Emphatically so, for the last, that is the 

 oldest joint, keeps falling off, and then constitutes a spore, 

 that is, a seed from which the whole fungus may be repro- 

 duced. Each of these chains is therefore a chain of spores. 



Having now ascertained the structure of the fungus, let us 

 enquire what place it occupies amongst those already known 

 — let us classify it. An impression appears to prevail, even 

 amongst botanists, especially those who confine themselves to 



A 2 



