134 CURREY, ON FUNGI. 



formed into sraall^ globular, colourless cells ; and I have seen 

 the contents of one of the large orange- coloured spores of 

 Volvox aureus become transformed into six rather large, 

 globular, colourless cells, which floated about in a mass of 

 coloured endochrome, being the remains of the contents of 

 the parent-cell. In fig. 46 I have drawn a spore of Sphceria 

 amblyospora, which 1 observed to throw out a number of 

 these small cells into its own gelatinous envelope, whilst the 

 regular mode of germination in this Sphseria takes place by 

 the emission of long branched filaments, very similar to that 

 of its ally, Steganosporium cellulosum, figured in vol. iv of 

 this Journal, PL XI. 



Gynmosporium {arundinis? Corda). — I am doubtful whe- 

 ther the plant here referred to is Corda' s Gymnosporium 

 arundinis. It forms small black spots on the stems and 

 leaves of Phragmites coimnunis, and is of very common 

 occurrence, although not, I think, described amongst the 

 British Fungi. It is possible that it may be only an imper- 

 fect state of some ascigerous fungus, but I mention it here 

 for the purpose of calling attention to its germination. Fig. 

 35 will show the manner in which the spore opens by the 

 swelling of the inner membrane. The epispore bursts, and 

 is sometimes carried out on each side, as in figs. 35 and 3G, 

 or it bursts on one side only, as in fig. 37, where it has the 

 appearance of a bivalve shell opening on a hinge. The pro- 

 trusion of the germ-filaments was accompanied by the 

 emission of minute staff-shaped bodies, such as are repre- 

 sented in figs. 35, 3G, and 37. It may perhaps be objected 

 that these bodies Avere not connected with the fungus, but 

 were developed in the water in which the spores were placed, 

 and I was at first doubtful whether this was so ; but their 

 position with regard to the germinating spores, the very 

 short time in which they made their appearance, and the fact 

 of their having occurred in several other instances (to one 

 of which I shall call attention presently) in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of germinating spores, and their non-appear- 

 ance in water containing spores in which no germination has 

 taken place, are facts which lead me to think that the bodies 

 in question are connected with germination, and I have 

 therefore thought it worth while to mention their occurrence 

 with the view of directing the attention of other observers 

 to a fact which may be of physiological importance."^ 



Peziza aurantia, Pers. — In this very common Peziza, 1 

 have noticed what I take to be a kind of germination, and 



* 111 one or two inslanccs I Imvo scon a distinct wriggling motion in these 

 suiuU bodies, quite ditfcreut from Browuiun motion. 



