FUNGI. 279 



known name of Myxogastrcs, or Myxomycetcs, 

 which expresses the same meaning. It must be 

 admitted that there are some who deny that they are 

 fungi at all ; whilst others contend that they are an 

 outside group with a little relationship to fungi. 

 For our present purpose we will assume that they 

 are a small group of fungi with an abnormal history. 

 Like many fungi, the spores are enclosed in an in- 

 tegument, more or less dense, until the period of 

 maturity arrives, when the^integument is ruptured and 

 the spores escape. Their most characteristic feature 

 is the circumstance that in their earliest stages, or 

 vegetative condition, they consist of a homogeneous 

 gelatinous plasma, which is peculiar to this group alone. 

 The spore, or individual unit, from which the plants 

 are developed, is minute, and commonly of a globose 

 form. When matured, and circumstances are favour- 

 able to their development, either one of the following 

 modes of evolution takes place. The spore originates 

 from its interior one or more movable zoospores, 

 with vibratile cilia, which ultimately subside into an 

 extensible plasma ; or, from the spores directly, and 

 by confluence, a gelatinous plasma is formed, which 

 bears some resemblance to sarcode, cells of which 

 possess the power of constantly changing their form 

 and moving about in a manner which reminds one of 

 Amceba. It is this peculiarity which belongs to the 

 vegetative stage, having no parallel in any other of 

 the groups of fungi, that led superficial observers, 

 fond of theory, to start the hypothesis that the whole 

 of these organisms belong to the animal kingdom, and 

 applied to them the name of Mycetozoa. 



