10 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



3. Pilobolus crystallinus, van Tieghem. 



4. ,, Kleinii, van Tieghem. 



5. ,, longipes, vari Tieghem. 



6. ,, roridus, Persoon. 



7. „ nanus, van Tieghem. 



Genus II — Pilaira, van Tieghem. 



1. Pilaira Cesatii, van Tieghem.^ 



2. ,, nigrescens, van Tieghem. 



3. ,, dimidiata, Grove. 



Cohn 2 (1851) traced the life-history of Pilobolus oedijms (his 

 P. crystallinus). He observed the germination of the spores, the 

 branched unicellular mycelium, the basal swelling cut off from the 

 rest of the mycelium by a wall, stages in the development of the 

 stipe, sporangium, and subsporangial swelling, the formation of 

 the columella, the ripening of the spores, and the discharge of the 

 sporangia. He estimated the number of spores in a sporangium 

 at 15,000-30 000. 



Further observations on the life-history of Pilobolus oedipus and 

 P. crystallinus were made by Coemans ^ (1861). He observed that 

 some of the sporangia were shot to a height of 105 cm. ( = 3 feet 

 5-3 inches), 4 and he was the first to perceive that the violent dis- 

 charge of the sporangia and their adhesion to grass by means of 

 their gelatinous base provide for the swallowing of the spores by 

 herbivorous animals and lead to the germination of the spores in 

 dung-plats. He says : " But do not believe that the discharged 

 globule is left to chance, its fall is calculated and everything is 

 provided for : nature has endowed it with an adhesive wall which 

 permits of its attaching itself to anything on which it alights. As 

 Pilobolus in the open grows in meadows or in the midst of herbage 

 frequented by herbivora, its sporangia naturally attach themselves 

 to the surrounding grass ; if there comes along a cow or any other 



1 According to the modern rules of nomenclature, this species is now known as 

 Pilaira anomala (Cesati) Schroter. 



2 F. Cohn, loc. cit. ^ E. Coemans, loc. cit. 

 4 Ihid., p. 39. 



