FRUIT-BODY FIXATION 



135 



hyphae which grow more or less radially outwards from all over 



the surface of the stipe-base and also 



from the lowest part of the stipe-shaft. 



These hyphae, which give a woolly or 



peronate appearance to the parts 



which they clothe, make their way 



into crevices between particles of the 



dung and to some extent contribute 



to the stability of the fruit-body as 



a whole. With the elucidation of the 



various factors which play a part in 



the fixation of a fruit-body, the 



problem of fixation for Coprinus ster- 



quilinus may be considered to have 



been solved. 



In other large or fairly large 

 agarics which grow on horse dung, 

 both in the field and in the labora- 

 tory one may observe that the base 

 of the stipe of a fruit-body is never 

 attached to the exposed top of a dung- 

 ball but always at its side or near its 

 base. A basal or low lateral attach- 

 ment of a fruit-body to a dung-ball 

 is well shown for Panaeolus cam- 

 panulatus in Fig. 70 and for Galera 

 tenera in Fig. 71, and similar illus- 

 trations for Stropharia semiglobata 

 and Anellaria separata are given 

 in Volume II, Figs. 114 and 123 (pp. 

 328 and 348) respectively. It is 

 probable that in these fungi, as in 

 Coprinus sterquilirms, light inhibits 

 the development of all fruit-body 

 rudiments which are exposed to its 

 rays, and thus determines that those 

 rudiments which are destined to 



Fig. 71. — Galera tenera. A fruit- 

 body which came up on a 

 mass of horse dung in the 

 laboratory. It arose beneath 

 a dung-ball in a dark place. 

 Probably, if otlier fruit-body 

 rudiments appeared on the 

 upper side of the dung-ball, 

 they were inhibited from 

 furtlier growth by the action 

 of hglit. Owing to its low 

 place of origin, tlie stipe 

 was well fixed mechanically 

 between the dung-ball and 

 tlie base of tlie glass dish. 

 Horse -dung ball collected at 

 Haslemere, England. Photo- 

 graphed in the laboratory at 

 Winnipeg. Natural size. 



