76 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



ably adapted to permit of organs of reproduction, which are pro- 

 duced on an irregularly disposed substratum, liberating their spores, 

 so that they may freely escape from their place of origin. 



Probably all the coprophilous Coprini are heliotropic, since they 

 all grow on the same peculiarly irregular substratum. However 

 Coprinus comatus, which comes up on turf in fields, &c, appears 

 to be without response to light. When the fruit-bodies receive 

 unilateral illumination, the stipes do not make a heliotropic cur- 

 vature (cf. Figs. 69 

 and 70, pp. 198, 199). 

 As with the Mush- 

 room, heliotropism 

 would be without 

 advantage. The 

 fields in which the 

 fruit-bodies come up 

 are on the average 

 horizontally dis- 

 posed. In order to 

 raise the pilei, so 

 that they become 

 free from surround- 

 ing obstacles, re- 

 sponse to the stimu- 

 lus of gravity is all 

 that is necessary. 



Anellaria separ- 

 ata (Fig. 32, p. 80) 

 is also coprophilous in habit, and in general form its fruit-bodies 

 resemble those of coprophilous Coprini. In the field the stipes are 

 usually vertical. When a mature fruit-body liberating spores is 

 tilted, the top of the stipe is still capable of responding to a geotropic 

 stimulus. The peculiar appearance of a full-grown fruit-body which 

 has been tilted and has readjusted itself is illustrated in Fig. 29. 



On tilting the very small fruit-bodies of Omphalia fibula which 

 are to be found on lawns, &c, I have been unable to detect any 

 geotropic response in the narrow decurrent gills. In this species, 



FlG. 29. — Anellaria separata. Geotropic reaction of the 

 stipe. To the left is a fruit-body of a closely allied 

 species, Panieolus phal ten arum. To the right are two 

 fruit-bodies of Anellaria separata which resembled in 

 form that on the left. After they had been set in 

 oblique positions the pilei became readjusted by curva- 

 tures made by the tops of the stipes. \ natural size. 



