346 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



cultures of the mycelium made in the laboratory are allowed to dry 

 up, on the addition of water after the lapse of several weeks or months 

 the mycelium revives and continues its development. Thus, in 

 withstanding desiccation and in reviving when moistened, the 

 mycelium of S. stellatus resembles that of many lignicolous fungi, 

 e.g. Polystictus versicolor, and of many coprophilous fungi, e.g. 

 Coprinus sterquilinus. 



A piece of cow dung permeated with the mycelium of Sphaero- 

 bolus stellatus was allowed to dry up in the autumn of 1923 and was 

 kept in the dried condition for a little over five years. It was then 

 moistened, but the mycelium failed to revive and soon became 

 covered with moulds. From this experiment, it is evident that the 

 mycelium of S. stellatus, if kept dry, loses its vitality in the course 

 of a few years. 



As already recorded, the observations of Miss Walker combined 

 with my own afford evidence that the gemmae in dried glebal masses 

 of Sphaerobolus stellatus retain their vitality for at least 8-11 years. 1 

 If one places a glebal mass which has been kept dry for 5-8 years in 

 a hanging drop of water, the gemmae within it send out clamp- 

 connexion-bearing hyphae which radiate from the glebal mass and 

 soon form a widely-extending mycelium. From mycelium produced 

 in this way one can start fresh artificial cultures. 



When, under natural conditions, a glebal mass has been shot on 

 to the leaves of herbage, etc., it sticks so tightly and is so insoluble 

 in water that even heavy rain can neither wash it from its place of 

 attachment nor break up its contents. Thus at Winnipeg I observed 

 that a whole day's rain failed to disturb a glebal mass which I had 

 previously found resting on an upper leaf of a Wolfberry bush 

 (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) several feet above the ground. 2 The 

 significance of the resistance of the glebal masses of Sphaerobolus to 

 the action of rain-water will be discussed in connexion with the 

 mode of dispersion of the spores. 



Relations of Sphaerobolus with Light. — Brefeld 3 showed that in 



1 Vide supra, pp. 290-292. 



2 Cf. foot-note on p. 297. 



3 O. Brefeld, Untersuchungen eras dem Gesammtgebiete der Mykologie, Heft VIII, 

 Leipzig, 1889, pp. 289-290. 



