THE PHALLOIDEyE OF CEYLON. 155 



There are two senses in which the term '• immature " may- 

 be appHed to expanded phalloids. We may speak of " imma- 

 turity" in the sense that an expanded phalloid is not mature 

 until its spores have been dispersed and it is about to collapse, 

 or, in the case of Dictyophora, it may be styled immature 

 during the short period when the stalk is fully expanded, but 

 the net still contracted just below the cap. But there can be 

 no immaturity in the sense that a change of structure might 

 occur after expansion. As far as its structure is concerned a 

 phalloid is mature as soon as it is fully expanded. There is, 

 however, another possible application of the term. May not a 

 phalloid burst from the volva before the receptaculum has 

 been fully formed ? We know from Fischer's researches that 

 in DictyopJwra, for example, the cap and stalk originate as 

 independent structures. If the formation of the cap is delayed 

 from any cause, while that of the stalk proceeds as usual, we 

 might expect that dehiscence (which probably depends to a 

 great extent on external factors) would occur when the stalk was 

 fully formed, but the cap was still immature, i.e., incomplete. 

 In that case the cap would remain permanently immature. 

 This leads at once to the tempting theory that all " rugulosi " 

 phalloids are immature examples. The theory appears to 

 gain probability from the fact that the gleba is always scanty 

 in such species ; that the processes of the cap bear at least a 

 superficial resemblance to the trama plates of the gleba ; and 

 that, in general, for each member of the "rugulosi" there is 

 a parallel, but more regularly developed non-rugulose species. 

 Penzig assumed that the processes of the cap were indeed the 

 non-deliquesced trama plates, but Fischer, after an examina- 

 tion of the egg of Z). irpicina, asserts the contrary. Needless 

 to say, such a theory would have to apply to all the " ru- 

 gulosi," and we should be faced with the fact that all our 

 specimens of Cohts Gardner i, those gathered forty years ago 

 and those of the present day, are " rugulosi." The experiment 

 recorded below afforded no support to this theory : still the 

 possibility that some of the recorded phalloids may be 

 " immature " in the sense indicated is worthy of note. 



A small bed, about ten square yards, was fenced round on 

 April 11 ; the bed was not weeded nor the margin trimmed 



