THIELAVIOPSLS PARADOX A. .5S1 



given above are greater than would be the case under natural 

 conditions, but it is scarcely likely that the process would be 

 materially different. It is, however, very different from 

 Howard's account (10). Howard states: " Three hours after 

 leaving the drop, the hyplia {i.e., conidiophore) coiniuenced 

 to bend, and the contents showed segmentation. Soon after 

 this appearance the hypha became top heavy and fell back on 

 to the surface of the drop. This was the signal for the rapid 

 liberation of a chain of grayish rectangular conidia." It may 

 be pointed out that if the conidiophore were bent abruptly, 

 liberation of previously-formed conidia would be impossible, 

 except for those on the distal side of the bend. Further, if all 

 the contents were segmented into spore equivalents, there 

 would not be room, even in the longest conidiophore, for 

 more than twenty spores ; yet we know that it may produce 

 eighty or more, and that even after it has produced forty, 

 the tube is still nearly fiUed with protoplasm which does not 

 shov/ segmentation. It is not possible, therefore, that the 

 conidiophore should contain a number of preformed conidia, 

 awaiting a favourable moment for rapid liberation. The onlj^ 

 other observation on the extrusion of the microconidia is that 

 of Massee, who states that they are produced in the same 

 way as the macroconidia ; the modes of production of the 

 two kinds of spores differ, however, in several particulars. 



I have stated above that the apex of the conidiophore is 

 dissolved. This, however, is a matter of conjecture. It 

 certainly does not split off a cap or lid, and there are no 

 indications of any rupture. The end of the tube is quite 

 even, and it generally fits quite closely round the escaping 

 conidia ; it terminates as evenly and regularly as a gun- barrel. 

 Sometimes, however, especially in old specimens, the edge is 

 recurved ; but even in these cases the bore of the tube is not 

 widened, and the recurved portion is not more than 1 [k broad. 

 I have never seen a trumpet-shaped mouth, as figured by 

 Massee (6). As a rule, the end of the tube can only be detected 

 when the conidia are escaping, by noting the apparent change 

 in thickness of the wall of the escaping spore. 



If undisturbed, the microconidia remain in chains in the 

 liquid. But they are merely in contact, end to end, and 



