THE SPHAEROBOLUS GUN 



295 



or more clamp-connexions, are far less numerous than the spores 

 and they mostly occupy a peripheral position, near to and mixed 

 with the rounded cells (Fig. 146, c). 





Fig 



146. — Sphaerobolus stellatus. A truncated sector of a glebal 

 mass, 3-4 hours after discharge from the fruit-body : a, a the 

 dark-brown glutinous outer wall consisting of the broken-down 

 cells of the pseudoparenchymatous peridial layer no. 6. The 

 gleba, enclosed by the glebal wall a a, now consists of the 

 following elements : cystidia b b, forming a peripheral layer 

 next to the glebal wall and also scattered sparsely among the 

 spores ; gemmae c c, some already showing germ-tubes, with 

 thin walls ; spores d d, oval and thick-walled ; and the matrix 

 e e, in which the cystidia, gemmae, and spores are embedded, 

 consisting of a glutinous fatty substance which is very tough 

 when dry. Drawn by A. H. R. Buller and Ruth Macrae. 

 Magnification, 4(3(j. 



The rounded or oval cells, the so-called cystidia, were included 

 by Miss Walker 1 with the gemmae ; but Pillay 2 regards them as 

 1 L. B. Walker, he. cit., p. 155. 2 T. P. Pillay, loc. tit., pp. 209-210. 



