ACHLYA 119 



stiuliod by Ward ['S^) and illustrated l)}' him as .1. polyandm dcB. may be 

 this, but looks more like A . fiagellata. Horn 's plant, treated as A . polyavdm 

 deB. ('04), may also be the present species (see note under the genus). 



All of the \ariations in the antheridial branches mentioned above 

 are to be found in tiie same culture, as e.g., on a mushroom grub or bit 

 of boiled corn grain. All the oogonia of a series along a certain thread may 

 haw diclinous anthcridia (pi. 38, fig. 4), another series may have only 

 short androgynous ones (pi. 39, fig. 10), another may have long androgynous 

 ones, and another have both androgynous or diclinous ones indiscriminately. 

 An androgynous origin is perhaps the more common. Not at all rarely 

 the antheridial branches arise from the stalks of the oogonia, thus differing 

 from .4. fiagellata. 



In the behavior of the contents of the sporangia many variations 

 occur. Masses of undivided protoplasm of all sizes may be ejected 

 with the spores and at times the entire mass, undivided, escapes as a 

 whole (pi. 39, fig. 4). See p. 9 for references to similar cases. 



It was in this species that we observed the only two cases of pro- 

 liferation through empty sporangia that we have found in Achlya. In 

 one case the hypha simply extended itself through the sporangium; 

 in the other there was formed a stalked oogonium in the sporangium, 

 the hypha extending on through beyond. We know of no reference in 

 the literature to internal proliferation of any kind in Achlya except by 

 Petersen, who says that he has seen "zoosporangia which had prolifer- 

 ated in undoubted species of Achlya" ('10, p. 520). 



For a discussion of the relationships of this species to A . proliferoides, 

 which is \ery near, and to other members of the group, see discussion 

 under the genus. Achlya americana is also near, but it is certainly not 

 the same. The antheridial branches are all short and intermingled 

 with the oogonia in origin, the eggs are more numerous (4-20, usually 

 6-12), and the oogonia average a little larger (40-90^1, most about 50- 

 6o;x). The eggs, also, are a little larger (18.5-25;^, most about 22;jl). 



Among such a confusion of forms, or descriptions of forms, it is a 

 pleasant relief to find one described that is apparently just like ours. 

 This is Minden's A. deBaryana var. intermedia, which seems identical 

 except that he does not mention the early dissolution of most of the 

 eggs. He describes his plants as follows: 



"In structure of mycelium and length of the oogonial stalk re- 

 sembling the typical form. Differs in the antheridial branches arising 

 often from the oogonial stalks as well as from the main branches and in 

 their being longer and more bunched, and running farther, thus often 

 attaching themselves to more distant oogonia, and then often diclinous. 

 Pits not always obvious, and at times entirely absent. Moreover, 



