236 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



into the air. The discharged contents of each ascus always made 

 their first appearance as eight spores which had already separated 

 from one another, and which were falling very slowly downwards 

 at a distance above the hymenium of about 2-3 cm. (Fig. 77). 

 The sudden bursting into view of the eight glistening and falling 

 particles against a black background forcibly reminded me of the 

 sudden illumination of the sky at night by a shower of brilliant 

 points of light produced by an explosive rocket. The eight spores 

 of each ascus, at the moment of their appearance in the beam of 

 light, usually formed a more or less regular vertical series in which 



Fig. 78. — Semi diagrammatic sketch of a section through a fruit-body of Peziza rcpanda 

 whilst discharging its spores. The spores are shot up to a height of 1-2-5 cm. 

 above the hymenium and are then carried off by the wind. Natural size. 



the highest spore was several millimetres from the lowest. It was 

 observed that very slight air-currents were sufficient to carry the 

 separated spores round and round in the air contained within the 

 glass jar. It can scarcely be doubted, therefore, that the spores 

 of the Peziza are dispersed in nature by the wind in the same 

 manner us those of Hymenomycetes. It is interesting that the 

 cloud of spores produced by the Peziza comes into being, not 

 immediately above the hymenium, but at a distance of 2-V> cm. 

 above it. This enables horizontal air-currents which are almost 

 universally found above the surface of the ground to carry away 

 the spores before they have time to fall back on to the fruit-body 

 from which they have been discharged (Fig. 78). 



