266 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



lished accounts than there was at the time De Bary wrote his 

 text-book. All that De Bary says is, that after the formation of the 

 primordium with its pseudo parenchyma, " the hymenium now 

 makes its appearance at the base of the secidium," etc.* He also 

 leaves in doubt the question of the manner in which the hymenium 

 increases in area, whether it is by the peripheral or intercalary forma- 

 tion of new basidia. Plowright f throws no light on either question, 

 leaving them just as De Bary has. There is really nothing which 

 deals with the question further, until we come to Neumann's paper 

 already mentioned. Even here the matter of the origin of the basidia 

 is passed over somewhat vaguely, being referred to as being cut off 

 from the hypluB. In the question of the enlargement of the hymenial 

 surface, it will be seen that his conclusion and the one put forward in 

 this paper do not entirely coincide. He expresses the opinion that 

 all of the basidia arise practically simultaneously, and that one cannot 

 speak of any after-growth of new ones. This is certainly not the con- 

 dition found in the aecidium of Peltandra, or of forms like it, although 

 in the aecidium on Anemone something more nearly approaching it 

 is seen. The opinion of De Bary that the hymenium usually starts 

 from a comparatively small centre is borne out by my own observa- 

 tions. The opinion expressed here, which seems to have basis ia 

 the f;xcts observed, is that the formation of new basidia, while mainly 

 peripheral, is also to some extent intercalary, and that in most a3cidia 

 they are not formed simultaneously. 



As regards the origin of the basidia Neumann adds but little, and 

 there have been practically no suggestions in this direction except 

 a very brief accoimt by Massee t of the occurrence of an oogonium 

 which after fertilization by an antheridium, after the manner of the 

 Peronosporeoe, grew out into the basidia. It is unnecessary to do more 

 than refer to this publication, and to add that, so far as the observa- 

 tions recorded here go, nothing of such a nature was discovered. 

 There are, however, certain definite fertile hyphiE which rise from the 

 mycelium and push their way into the primordium. It has also been 

 seen that these hyphaj are often twisted, even spirally bent, suggesting 

 possibly the " Woronin's hyphse " seen in the development of certain 

 Pyrenomycetes. From these hyphae are given off buds or branches 



* DeBary, Conip. Morph. of the Fungi and Mycetogoa, Garnsey and Balfour's 

 trans., page 274. 



t British Uredinene and Ustilagineae, 1889, p. 22. 

 j Annals of Botany, 1889. 



