4 Transactions of the Canadian Institute. [Vol. VII. 



Staining either with Congo-red or with haematoxylin after twenty- 

 four hours treatment with iron alum, showed the existence of a third 

 set of hyphae, which had not been noticed before. These form a 

 meshwork between the strands of larger hyphae ; they are extremely 

 delicate and colourless, and in fewer numbers can be seen running 

 amongst the other hyphae, within the strands. This detailed structure 

 was most satisfactorily seen by mounting the sections in glycerine. 

 Dehydration with alcohol, and clearing with either clove oil or xylol, 

 caused the hyphae to collapse to such an extent that the appearance of 

 the sections is greatly altered. An examination of hyphae separated 

 out by eau de javelle, under Zeiss Horn. I mm. j^V, confirmed the 

 presence of these delicate colourless hyphae amongst and upon the 

 larger ones. (Fig. lo). This suggests that they are parasitic in 

 nature. 



As regards the function of the brown irregular hyphae, their general 

 characters and distribution suggested, at first, that they might represent 

 a conducting system such as has been described by Istvanfifi and Johan 

 Olsen.* (Fig. ii). 



This, however, is apparently not their function, for no treatment has 

 been successful in decolourizing them. Even after fixing in alcohol or 

 Rath's solution, embedding, dehydrating and clearing, they retain their 

 brown or yellowish brown colour. They appear, too, to be present 

 throughout the material, and though more numerous in some regions, 

 they do not here exhibit any special characters. Beyond this, moreover, 

 the occurrence of a group of spores, in connection with these hyphae, 

 makes it impossible for them to be conducting in function, but points 

 rather to their being the hyphae of a fungus parasitic upon the main 

 fungus, which consists of the large, colourless hyphae. 



We come next to the consideration of the nature of the substance, 

 which causes the saponaceous feel possessed by the material. It has 

 already been suggested that this character is due to the presence of 

 resin, and from all the results, which an e.xamination of its behaviour 

 has given, this seems to be the correct view. 



It is insoluble in water but very slowly in strong alcohols, and more 

 slowly in ether or chloroform, in each case resulting in a clear, golden 

 brown liquid. Ether or chloroform does not precipitate it from the 

 alcoholic solution. 



* " Uber die Milchsaft behiilter bei den hoheren Pilzen." Bot. cent., 1887. 



Istvanffi, " Untersuchiingen iiber die physiologische anatomic der Pilze, etc." Pringsh. Jahrb., xxix. 



