2218 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



Pure cultures were obtained, however, after something like two hundred trials 

 and nearly as many failures. 



The hyphal bodies began to send out hyphae (Figs. 17-19) into the agar 

 shortly after they were placed in it, and, although the medium was evidently not 

 exactly suited to the best development of the fungus, the hyphae continued to 

 grow until prevented by bacteria and other fungi. One pure culture continued 

 to show signs of growth for 26 days. 



A caterpillar-agar was prepared, but it did not give as good results as the 

 bouillon-agar. The reason for not giving better results was attributed to the 

 large amount of vegetable matter contained in the caterpillars which were used, 

 so that the medium was a vegetable-agar containing a small amount of a decoc- 

 tion of caterpillars rather than a caterpillar-agar. Growth on this medium was 

 very rapid for a while, and I entertained the most sanguine hopes that I had hit 

 upon just the medium suited to the fungus, but I was sorely mistaken, for growth 

 ceased about as suddenly as it began, probably when the reserve material stored 

 in the hyphal bodies and conidia had been used up. It therefore remains a 

 question whether the fungus made use of any of the medium except the water 

 which it contained. 



On germinating, the contents of a hyphal body extended out into the hypha, 

 leaving the hyphal body empty (Figs. 17-19), As the hypha continued to 

 develop septa were formed behind the constantly receding mass of protoplasm 

 (Figs. 20-23). The movement of the protoplasm in the hyphae resembled that 

 of the MucoracecB so much that the filaments of the Empusa might have been 

 mistaken for one of them. 



Some of the hyphse on reaching the surface of the agar formed basidia. A 

 " bud " appeared at the end of the basidium, gradually becoming larger and 

 larger until a septum separated it from the basidium as an egg-shaped conidium 

 (Figs. 2«, 3(1;, 8^, 24rt'-26rt'). One peculiarity about the attachment of the coni- 

 dium to the basidium was that instead of being attached to the conidium, 

 a papillate portion of the conidium extended down into the basidium (Figs, 

 3r?, 8<^, 26<?), so that when the conidium became detached a scar marked the 

 place of attachment (Figs. 5c?, *]d), leaving the end of the basidium open and 

 with a ragged edge (Figs, ^a, 8<r, 27^). The manner of attachment of the coni- 

 dium to the basidium probably has something to do with the ejection of the 

 conidium, for when the conidium is mature it is thrown some distance from the 

 basidium (Fig. 27^'). Conidia formed in the cultures, falling upon the moist 

 agar germinated (Figs. 36, 37, 38^-), and the hypha from one (Fig. 38^7) was kept 

 growing until another conidium (Fig. 38^) was produced, thus completing the 

 life history from a hyphal body to a conidium of the second generation. Some 

 basidia produced conidia in the agar without reaching the surface. The conidia 

 of course could not be thrown off and germinated where they were formed 

 (Figs. 39«, 40rt;), 



There seemed to be an attempt on the part of certain cells interposed with 

 the other cells of the hyphae to produce hyphal bodies or chlamydospores, 

 (These hyphae were from hyphal bodies and not from conidia.) The cells which 

 were filled with protoplasm remained apparently inactive for a number of days, 



