GENERAL SUMMARY 569 



The author points out that the mechanism for the production and 



to^.r. '/ T"'" '"^ ^'t^^'^"' '^'^''' ^" ^^^^^^^ important respects 

 from that of a Copnnus. In a Coprinus : (1) the spores ripen in succes- 

 sion from below upwards on each gill, (2) the spores are discharged in 

 succession from below upwards on each gill, and (3) autodigestion pro- 

 ceeds from below upwards on each gill and is correlated with the process 

 of spore-discharge. In a Bolbitius these three giU-characters are not 

 present : the spores do not develop and become discharged in succes- 

 sion from below upwards on each gill, and there is no autodigestion of 

 the gills from below upwards during spore-discharge. The so-caUed 

 deliquescence seen in some species of Bolbitius has no relation to the 

 discharge ot the spores and is a post-mortem change. 



Chapter IV.-The Armillaria Sub-type of fruit-body organisation is 

 of wide-spread occurrence among the Leucosporae and the Rhodosporae 

 and to It belong many well-known fungi, including species of Armillaria' 

 Amanita, Amamtopsis, Marasmius, Collybia, Tricholoma, Mycena 

 Hygrophorus, Russula, Lactarius, Pluteus, and Nolanea 



In the Armillaria Sub-type, the fruit-body is not lightly built and 

 ephemeral but relatively stout and persistent. The pileus-flesh is 

 usually well-developed. The spore-discharge period has a duration of 

 several days The gills are not mottled. On any small area of the 

 hymenium the basidia are not assorted into definite groups of any kind 

 Rasidia ^vith ripe or nearly ripe spores are distantly separated from one 

 another. In the middle of the areas between the most mature basidia 

 are younger basidia with less advanced spores, also distantly separated 

 from one another. Still younger basidia with well-developed sterigmata 

 or very rudimentary spores are present in the spaces still left These 

 very young basidia, again, are distantly separated from one another 

 Ihe basidia are monomorphic, i.e. all protrude from the hymenium to 

 the same extent and those bearing spores at any one time are not later- 

 ally crowded. The paraphyses do not form a hymenial pavement as do 

 hose of the Psathyrella and Bolbitius Sub-types, bu? are relativelv 

 small and poorly developed. - 



thP^i"" T'* 1"w^ ^'^^"'' °^ *^" organisation of the hymenium of 

 the Armillaria Sub-type, which can be readily observed in a gill looked 

 at in face view is the loose arrangement of the spore-bearing basidia 

 which IS of such a nature that spore-bearing basidia of about the same 

 age are distantly separated from one another. 



In a general account of Armillaria mellea the author makes remarks 

 on the luminescence of the mycelium, the functions of the rhizomorpha 

 subterranea, the^ recovery of a Mountain Ash tree from the attack of 

 the mycelium the development of the fungus in pure cultures, and the 

 production of uninucleate basidia directly on mycelia of monosporous 



With the help of a series of illustrations the author shows the 



