54 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



of generations of basidia is limited here, as in Lepiota cepaestipes, 

 to four. The production and liberation of the spores of these four 

 generations is hastened, in contrast with what happens in the Pan- 

 aeolus Sub-type, by an overlapping in the times of the development 

 of the four sets of basidia. Thus, the second generation of basidia 

 is only a slight developmental stage behind the first, the third gener- 

 ation only a slight developmental stage behind the second, and 

 the fourth generation of basidia only a slight developmental stage 

 behind the third. Correlated with this developmental overlapping, 

 the four generations of basidia are tetramorphic : the bodies of 

 the first-generation basidia protrude far beyond the general level 

 of the hymenium ; those of the second-generation basidia are less 

 protuberant ; those of the third-generation basidia are still less 

 protuberant ; whilst those of the fourth-generation basidia are 

 not protuberant at all. This tetramorphism permits of a greater 

 crowding of the basidia on any given area of the hymenium, and 

 therefore a greater production of spores, than would be possible 

 with monomorphism, such as we have in the Panaeolus Sub-type ; 

 and, at the same time, vertical contact between the spores of any 

 adjacent basidia belonging to different generations is prevented. 

 Lateral contact between the spores of any two adjacent basidia 

 is prevented by the presence between the basidium-bodies of large 

 and well-developed permanently sterile paraphyses, which are neces- 

 sary as space-makers. The four generations of basidia together 

 with the paraphyses form a beautiful mosaic-work of such a kind 

 that the spores on adjacent basidia cannot mutually interfere with 

 one another, either vertically or horizontally, durmg either their 

 development or discharge ; while, at the same time, any given 

 area of the hymenium is employed so as to produce the maximum 

 number of spores which can be liberated in the very short spore- 

 discharge period. 



Remarks on Taxonomy. — Quelet, in 1888, removed Psathyrella 

 disseminata from the genus Psathyrella in which Fries had placed 

 it, and included it in the genus Coprinus.^ It thus came to have 

 the name Coprinus disseminatus (Pers.) Quel. Lange, in 1915, 



^ L. Qu61et, Flore Mycologique de la France et des Pays Limitrophes, Paris, 

 1888, p. 42. 



