154 
The six spores represented on the top of Plate V. are magnified 1000 
diameters, and each viscid spore, which is furnished with a nucleus lighter in 
colour, but with a dark outline, has been pierced and fertilised by one or more 
spermatozoids, whilst the unfertilised spore at A has burst at both ends, and 
produced a mycelium of its own. At B may be seen three spermatozoids 
which have burst after twelve hours in expressed juice of horse-dung, and which 
have also produced branching threads peculiar to themselves, reminding one of 
a pollen tube. Itis quite possible that these latter threads may help to produce 
a new plant if they come in contact with the spores. The large figure at 
C is similar in nature to the group at z (Plate III.), and represents three fertilised 
spores which have burst and produced the first minute knot or group of cells of 
the cap of anewfungus. These eighteen cells took four days for their production, 
and the crystals belong to the expressed juice of the horse-dung in which they 
grew. The spermatozoids as here shown begin gradually to revolve after being 
kept in liquid for two hours, and the movements last for at least four days. At 
first these bodies are perfectly spherical, as at D, when they merely oscillate, then 
they revolve slowly, and as time goes on, a single turn of a spiral makes itself 
visible, and the bodies whirl round with great rapidity. At intervals the motion 
entirely ceases, and then, after a short lapse of time, the gyration is again 
continued. 
Judging from the presence of the eddy round these bodies whilst whirling 
(EE, Plate V.) they are possibly provided with cilia, but from the extreme minute- 
ness of the bodies themselves I have not been able to satisfactorily demonstrate 
their presence. The whirling of the spermatozoids is sometimes so strong that 
when they attach themselves to the spores they twist them round after the 
manner of the revolving oosphere in Fucus. 
When the cells of the old parent fungus collapse and disappear in the water, 
their place is in less than two hours occupied by innumerable quantities of 
bacteria, vibriones and monads, which belong to the infusoria. In these two 
hours every cell of the pileus has generally vanished. Where these infusoria 
come from, or how they so speedily come into being, is difficult to say. They may 
possibly be present in a latent state in the juices of the fungus, but I have 
invariably found, when a single specimen of C. radiatus has been placed on a slide 
under a covering glass with a drop of water, and this, again, under a propagating 
glass, that as the millions of fungus cells quickly disappear, so millions of simple 
infusoria just as quickly come into being. It seems almost reasonable to believe 
that the fungus cells themselves become suddenly transformed, and reappear as 
simple infusoria ; the change would not be quicker or more remarkable than the 
rapid production of the purple-black spores from the crystalline and colourless 
basidia. 
Be this as it may I have here engraved the abundant infusoria to the same 
scale as the cells. The tailless monads at F have a rocking Brownian movement, 
whilst those with tails, G, propel themselves rapidly about after the manner of 
minute tadpoles. These monads are liable (without care) to be mistaken for 
