246 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



Order of the Discharge of Scores of One Lomj Basidium and of Four 

 Surrounding Short Basidia in Coprinus sterquilinus 



By comparing the time of discharge of the last spore of the basi- 

 dium A with the times of discharge of the first spores of the basidia 

 B and C, D and E, we may draw the conclusion that a long basidium 

 completes the discharge of its spores about one minute before the 

 short basidia immediately below it begin to shed their spores and 

 about three minutes before the short basidia immediately above 

 it begin to shed their spores. Generalising further, we may say 

 that, in the zone of spore-discharge, the discharge of the spores 

 of a long basidium precedes the beginning of the discharge of the 

 short basidia by which it is surrounded by about one to three 

 minutes. The long basidia therefore shoot away their spores only 

 just in time to clear them out of the way of the spores of the short 

 basidia when these come to be discharged. 



In the Section upon The Structure and Development of the Hy- 

 me.niu7n, it was shown that the long basidia represent a first genera- 

 tion of basidia and the short a second generation, and that the long 

 basidia commence to develop their spores about two hours before 

 the immediately neighbouring short basidia. This lead, however, 

 becomes gradually reduced during subsequent development with 

 the result that, as we have just seen, the long basidia precede the 

 short basidia in the time of discharge of the spores by an interval 

 of less than five minutes. 



In order to study the discharge of the spores with a higher 

 magnification tliaii was possible when the compressor-cell method 

 was employed, I frequently proceeded as follows. A gill was 



