HOTSON. — CULTURE STUDIES OF FUNGI. 287 



spherical in form, consisting usually of a single large central cell about 

 10-14 n in diameter, densely filled with granular material and oil 

 globules, and surrounded by a single layer of empty colorless cells, 

 the whole bulbil measuring 15-21 fx in diameter. Although the 

 foregoing description of the mode of development of the bulbil is 

 the characteristic one, the process may vary considerably in differ- 

 ent cases. Occasionally there appears a tendency to form a helix, at 

 other times a protuberance from the central cell develops only on one 

 side or not at all, and quite frequently the "annulus" is incomplete, 

 or the cortical cells that are derived from it fail to cover the whole 

 central cell. It would thus appear that the development of the 

 bulbil may be arrested at nearly any stage, and these arrested forms, 

 under proper conditions, will germinate almost immediately. 



In Van Tieghem cells these bulbils germinate in 24-3b' hours and 

 send out one or two germ tubes, as shown in Figures 15-16, Plate 5, 

 which arise from the central cell only. The germ tubes usually 

 proceed from that region where the marginal cells meet or, as some- 

 times happens fail to meet, leaving two small pores, as already men- 

 tioned. In incompletely developed bulbils, the germ tube seems to 

 come out from any point offering the least resistance. 



Conidia-like bodies were occasionally found connected with this 

 fungus when grown on straw. A short lateral branch, which not 

 infrequently becomes septate (Figure 17b, Plate 5), enlarges at the 

 end and from it an ovoid cell (4.5 X 6.5 ij.) is abjointed. Unfortu- 

 nately these were produced so rarely that their germination and 

 further development could not be observed. Figure 17, Plate 5, 

 however, shows a direct connection between these "conidia" and a 

 bulbil. 



This form agrees in all respects with the original description and 

 figures of Helicosporangium parasiticum (Karsten '65) except that it 

 is saprophytic and that no "endospores" are found in the central cell. 

 As already stated, Karsten was of the opinion that the contents of the 

 cortical cells passed into the central cell, either directly or by diffusion 

 and as a result of the union of these different protoplasmic bodies the 

 spores were formed. If the account given by Karsten is correct, in 

 all it.^ details he was not dealing with a bulbiferous form at all. It 

 would seem, however, that later writers are probably correct in 

 considering them as such, since Karsten may have been misled bj die 

 presence of more or less regular oil globules, such as occur in this and 

 other species and which might easily have been mistaken for endo- 

 spores. On the other hand, it is by no means impossible that he was 



