BY D. McALPINE. 473 



or elongated joints with mottled and usually vacuolated contents. 

 Tlie moniliform hyph^e averaged 3| fi in breadth, and the other, 

 which were often of considerable length, 5^^ /x. Elongated and 

 moniliform joints might occur in the same filament, but there 

 were distinct, delicate, moniliform hyphte and stouter hyph?e Avith 

 elongated joints. 



The dark coloured hyphse are generally greenish-brown to dark 

 brown, closely septate, either sparingly or copiously branched, 

 thick-walled, bulging joints, often with oblique or longitudinal 

 septa, 9i-13 jx broad. The filaments often consist of several 

 celled joints, and deeply constricted, so that their connection 

 with each other is slight. The branches are very rigid, as may 

 be seen when they are rolling about in a current, and the 

 filaments anastomose as well as branch. 



Reproductive bodies. — There is great variety in the mode of 

 reproduction, and as this forms the distinguishing feature of the 

 fungus it will be necessary to describe the different kinds with 

 some fulness. The dift'erent forms are so unlike each other that 

 the eai'lier mycologists assigned them to different form-genera, 

 but they are now known to be stages in the life-cycle of the same 

 fungus. The highest form or Perithecium will be described last, 

 and this will enable us to fix the scientific position of the fungus. 



(1) Gonidia. — These are produced in great abundance both by 

 the colourless and coloured hypha?, and no doubt contribute 

 materially by their germination to weaving a web of hyphje of 

 firm texture. It will be convenient to consider them as produced 

 by the colourless and coloured hyphse. 



(a) The gonidia produced by the colourless hyphse at their tips 

 ai'e either colourless or pale green, and very varied. Some are in 

 moniliform chains like a Torula, others spherical or oval and 

 pale greenish, 7^-13 x 3|-7| fi. Some are uniseptate and con- 

 stricted at septa, 11-19 x 5|-11 fi, others biseptate, about 24 x 8 yu. 



A quadrate 4-celled body is very common, producing three 

 radiating filaments, and bearing gonidia. 



