MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 153 



bearing at the apex either a large sporangium or a cluster of sporan- 

 giole.s, are toniniou. In younger cultures the proportion of uu- 

 bran<he(l sjiorangiophores is relatively greater than in ohlcr cul- 

 tures, where the unbranclied sj»orangiophores remain short, not 

 more than 1 mm. tall. The sporangiophores, however, may be 

 branched, bearing (me or more lateral branches, terminating in a 

 sporangium, or sterile at the tip, with sporaugioles clustered below. 

 The sporangioj>hores are usually brown, about the same shade as 

 the zygophoric hyphae of Sporodinia. 



The sporangia are sub-globose to globose 100-lG0/( in diameter,, 

 (average 1 1*0-1. ".() microns) with a readily deliquescent membrane, 

 covered with minute crystals. The columella is hyaline, oval to pyri- 

 form 82-148 microns tall by ()2-117 microns broad. The deciduous 

 sporaugioles are ])yriform, 20-31 x 23-33 microns and are borne on 

 long pedicels, circinate at the distal end. They may arise in small 

 clusters of three or four, as forkings of a short, lateral branch of a 

 sporangiophore. More often, however, they are born in a cluster 

 of 100 or more, on a whorl of short, thickened, forked, lateral out- 

 growths of the sporangio])hore. As many as five or six such clusters 

 of sporaugioles have been observed on a single sporangiophore, so 

 close together as to resemble a row of loose-strung beads. The wall 

 of the sporaugioles is persistent, finally breaking into pieces to allow 

 the escape of the spores, which are graj', smooth and measure 5-10 

 X 4-G microns, in both the sporangia and the sporangioles. 



This mucor is readily cultivated on gelatin, agar, bread, etc. 



Helicostvlum was first described bv Bainier in 1880 and since 

 then, so far as I know, has been reported and figured but once, \h. 

 by Massee and Salmon (5). 



CUNNINGHAJMELLA ELEGANS LEND. 



Cunninghamella echinulata AVas first described by Thaxter (7) 

 under the name Oedocephalum in 1891, before the genus was known 

 to belong to the zygomycetes. Matriichot (6), by an unique morpho- 

 logical and physiological study, proved Cunninghamella echinulata 

 to be a Mucor, and his work was later confirmed by Blakeslee (2) 

 who described the zygospores. The species with which we are 

 concerned is C. elegans Lend. I'l. XVII). It was first described by 

 Lendner (4) in 1905, he having isolated it from soil. 



I also obtained this species from garden soil, in the fall of 1914. 

 The method used, because of its good results, I shall give in detail. 

 Five or six Petri dishes were wrapped in paper and then dry steri- 

 lized. In the field the dishes were quickly filled with soil, exposing 



