ON THE GERMINATING SiPORIDIA OF VALSA CEIPHEMlA. 311 



noticed that most of the sporidia had germinated ; the gelatine 

 was thinned with a httle water, and the growing bodies kept under 

 observation for three weeks, after which period no further develop- 

 ment took place. When first observed, the free sporidia had 

 emitted threads from three to six times their own length, but 

 germination had also commenced in those yet within the ascus ; 

 the latter, being ruptured by the growing tubes, soon disappeared, 

 or possibly resolved itself into the mucus by which the sporidia 

 were agglutinated together in every instance where germination 

 preceded its disappearance. Before the emission of germ tubes the 

 sporidia change to some extent their shape, and become wider, 

 especially at the extremities, from which the threads originate; 

 rarely a third springs from near the middle of the spondium ; this 

 difference of shape is very evident where only some of the sporidia 

 in an ascus germinated, the barren ones retaining their original 

 form and dimensions. The threads, which are transparent and 

 filled with protoplasm containing minute granules, have a diameter 

 nearly equal to that of the sporidium, grow in a curved direction, 

 giving off at the same time most frequently, although not 

 invariably, from the concave side three or four similarly curved or 

 sometimes spirally twisted branches. Up to this point no septaB 

 are present. The next change consists in the tips of the branches 

 and that of the main tube, also less frequently interstitial portions, 

 becoming inflated into more or less globose vesicles, which are 

 irregular in size, but generally many times larger than the 

 sporidia. The plastic contents of the threads are soon con- 

 centrated in these inflated portions in the form of oily-looking 

 globules ; a transverse septum separates them from the empty 

 tube, which soon disappears, leaving the vesicles floating in the 

 liquid. Sometimes the vesicles remain attached to the threads 

 and are not separated from them by a septum ; but whether free or 

 attached, a few days after their full development, minute elevations, 

 varying in number from two to five, appear scattered over the 

 surface ; these points continue growing, and soon a much-branched, 

 unicellular, mycelial-looking mass is produced ; the threads are much 

 narrower and more branched than those that started from the 

 sporidia. These vesicles are not sporules, but reservoirs of proto- 

 plasm, which serve as starting-points for further development; 

 from two to six are produced by each sporidium, and if each one 

 developes into an individual the advantage of their production is 

 obvious. Those who see in each succeeding phase of develop- 

 ment an additional generation, usually consider the ascigerous 

 condition as the final and most highly developed stage ; but in the 

 present instance the contents of the asci-sporidia closely approach, 

 if they are not identical with, the pseudo-spores of Dr. Cooke, in 

 producing on their germ tubes bodies capable of germination, or 

 rather, after concentrating within themselves all the plastic material 

 from the original sporidium and germ- tube, commencing growth 

 afresh. 



