COPRINUS STERQUILINUS 



237 



spores are shot only about 0-2 mm. into the interlamellar spaces 

 before they begin to fall vertically. In the drawing B, the spores 

 have been introduced in their correct size, distribution, and 

 number, and a glance at it will help one to realise the enormous 

 number of spores which may be borne on even a single gill. Below 

 the ripe spores, which darken the surface of the hymenium, is 



i i.. 1 1 



-lX. 



■ ■! I . ^ 



; A 



Fig. 101. — Coprinus sterquilinus. A, vertical transverse section through three 

 gills of an expanded pileus which is shedding spores. The section has been 

 taken in the direction indicated by the line o — p in Fig. 97, F (p. 232). The 

 gills are split for a certain distance from above downwards through their median 

 planes. The trajectories of a few spores being shot away in the zones of spore- 

 discharge have been indicated. B, a surface view of a piece of a gill of an 

 expanded pileus which is shedding spores. It corresponds to a lateral view 

 of one of the gills shown in A or to a surface view of part of the right-hand 

 gill shown in Fig. 97, F, in the region o — p (p. 232). The spores are being 

 shed from the zone of spore-discharge just above the gill-edge. At the extreme 

 gill-edge, the black line indicates the wasted spores (c/. Fig. 104, p. 242, zone e). 

 The light zone above includes the spore-free zone and the zone of autodigestion. 

 The upper ends of the arrows show the position of the zone of spore-discharge. 

 The arrows show the direction of fall of a few spores in still air. Above the 

 arrows the gill is covered with basidia which hav-e not yet discharged their 

 spores. Magnification, 13. 



seen the zone of spore-discharge from which spores are being 

 shot away. Below this zone is a white band representing the 

 spore-free zone and the zone of autodigestion ; while, at the 

 extreme gill-edge, is the zone of the products of autodigestion — 

 a liquid film containing many spores which failed to be properly 

 discharged. 



The spore-deposit of Coprinus sterquilinus illustrated in Fig. 102 

 was made as follows. A pileus which had attained to the stage 

 of development shown at F in Fig. 97 (p. 232) and in Fig. 98 (p. 234) 

 was detached from its stipe, set on a piece of white paper, covered 

 with a small inverted crystallising dish, and removed at the end of 



