LINDSAY, ON ABROTHALLUS. 51 



in A. Smithii ; while in A. microspernms, tliey are " mate- 

 rieqne oleosa et homogenea fostas." All these conditions 

 frequently exist in tlie stylospores of the same variety. 

 Yery frequently a single large globule occupied the cavity 

 of the stylospore, extending across its whole breadth, but 

 leaving interspaces at the extremities ; or a large globule 

 filled the broader end, while the opposite contained two or 

 more smaller globules. Sometimes the stylospore contained 

 a mass of small globules and granules of different size ; at 

 other times the protoplasm was finely granular or grumous; 

 or it was perfectly homogeneous and transparent. This 

 appeared to be the highest state of development of the 

 stylospore. The application of ether, aqua potassoe, and 

 aqua ammonise satisfied me that in all these cases the 

 protoplasm was oily. The oil globules could readily be 

 squeezed from the stylospores, and made to coalesce into 

 larger globules ; and the stylospores were almost invariably 

 associated — sometimes to a marked extent — with free, float- 

 ing oil globules. Under the reagents these free oil globules 

 Avere greatly increased in number and size, and the globules 

 contained in the stylospores could be seen gradually being- 

 dissolved or broken up into a homogeneous fluid. These 

 globules, like other oil globules, refracted light powerfully, 

 and were very prominent objects in the interior of the 

 stylospores. Their numbers and size differed greatly in 

 specimens from various localities. Tliey were very large 

 and numerous in Ben Lawers specimens, in which the 

 stylospores were associated with a large quantity of free oil 

 globules. A similarly large intermixture of oil globules, espe- 

 cially in the young state of the stylospores, was also observed 

 in specimens from Glen Shee, the vicinity of Dumfries, and 

 other localities. Some of the stylospores, in specimens from 

 Ben Lawers, bore a resemblance to certain cellular spores, 

 especially when elongated and containing two or more large 

 globular nuclei. Here also there was considerable deformity 

 of shape; some of the stylospores, which were among the 

 largest I have seen, were almost spherical in form, and might 

 have been mistaken for empty gonidia. This was not unfre- 

 quently the case also in other specimens. 1 have occasion- 

 ally — as in specimens of A. Smithii from Glen Shee — seen 

 the stylospores, from their shape and the arrangement of 

 the contained globules, resembling certain states of the 

 spores of A. oxysporus. Of the colour of the stylospores 

 Tuiasne says, " Singulatim spectata dilute flavida dieeres ; " 

 v/hile " horumee corpusculorum congeries in pycnidis sinu 

 aibescit copiosumque admittit aerem." He remarks further. 



