CHAPTER XIII: SLIME FUNGI— MYXO- 



MYCETES 



(See Plate Facing Page 136) 



Whether the slime fungi are plants or animals is a question 

 not yet decided. They are living organisms which have no 

 chlorophyll, or leaf-green, and which in their vegetative state 

 resemble certain groups of the Proio^oa, or unicellular animals, 

 which live in water. In their manner of reproduction they show 

 resemblances to certain fungi, and the spore cases or sporangia 

 of some resemble tiny puffballs in form and maimer of ejecting 

 their spores. 



In the growing stage they consist of a naked mass of yel- 

 lowish or whitish protoplasm, which creeps about in the dark, in 

 accumulations of dead parts of plants, or under the bark of 

 rotting stumps or logs. When a spore germinates, the mem- 

 brane about it bursts, and a bit of naked and slimy protoplasm 

 escapes. This tiny mass creeps about, absorbing food from its 

 surroundings, and increasing in size until it may perhaps cover 

 an area of many inches. After a time spores begin to form, then 

 either the whole mass is transformed into a single spore case or a 

 number of spore cases are formed. The spore cases of Lycogala 

 epidendroji are pretty things, resembling pink coral beads. When 

 fresh, a case is filled with a thin pink paste; but when mature, 

 with fine brown dust-like spores. When the spore case bursts, 

 these spores escape, and if they fall in favourable places the life 

 cycle begins anew. 



Myx'-6-my-5e'-tes Pro-to-zo'-i Ly-cog'-X-li £p-K-den'-dr6n 



144 



