210 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



B 



D 



Fig. 90. — Coprinus sterquilinus. Develop- 

 ment of hymeniuin as seen in cioss- 

 section, providing evidence that there 

 are two generations of basidia. A, at 

 10 P.M., the long basidia, a, have developed 

 sterigmata, the short basidia, b, have not ; 

 c, the rudimentary paraphyses. B, at 

 1 A.M., the long basidia, a, are developing 

 spores ; the short, b, have only developed 

 sterigmata ; c, the paraphyses. C, at 

 2.30 P.M., the long basidia have larger 

 spores than the short ones ; c, the swelling 

 paraphyses. D, at 12 midnight, both 

 generations of basidia have full-sized 

 black spores, ready for discharge ; c, the 

 swollen paraphyses. Magnification, 287. 



sterquilinus with that of Panaeolus 



large and equally black. 

 But between the stages C 

 and D intermediate stages 

 were observed. In one of 

 them it was seen that the 

 spores of both the long and 

 the short basidia had at- 

 tained full size, but that 

 the spores of the long 

 basidia had commenced to 

 develop pigment in their 

 walls, whereas the spores 

 of the short basidia were 

 as yet quite colourless. 



It seems to me that 

 the study of the develop- 

 ment of the hymenium as 

 described above, in which 

 it was shown that the long 

 basidia lead the short 

 basidia (1) in the division 

 of the nucleus, (2) in the 

 development of sterigmata. 

 (3) in the development of 

 spores, and (4) in the 

 development of pigment in 

 the spore-walls, warrants 

 us in drawing a conclusion 

 of considerable importance, 

 namely, that the long 

 basidia all belong to a first 

 generation of basidia, and 

 the short basidia to a second 

 generation. If we compare 

 the development of the 

 hymenium of Cojyrinus 

 campayiulatits, which was 



