OKGANS OF CERTAIN FUNGI. 273 



from the sporidia of the Sphccria, see fig. 13 {h, f) ; the 

 former of which represents a sporidium of the SpJiccria, the 

 latter a spore of the Criiptoqwrium* 



Cryptospormm vuh/are is a plant not unfrequently found 

 upon beech and alder twigs, and I much hope that some 

 reader of this paper will repeat the above observations, which 

 may be done v/ithout difficulty or trouble. The simplest plan 

 for keeping the bed of moss in a proper state is to fill a com- 

 mon flowerpot about one-third full of crocks for drainage, 

 and to fill the rest of the pot with damp (not icet) sphagnum 

 moss ; the moss should be kept damp by occasionally putting 

 water into the pan in which the pot stands, and not by pouring 

 it over the top of the moss ; the pot should be kept covered 

 with a bell-glass. Many a fungus may be grown in this 

 manner which would not have a chance of coming to maturity 

 in such cold dry weather as we have had this spring. By a 

 similar process I ripened two large plants of Reticularia 

 maxima, which were brought to me in the early stage, of a 

 cream-coloured mucilage. f 



I think it worth while to mention as a somewhat singular 

 circumstance, that on the same alder twigs upon which S. 

 Cryptosporii was produced, there occurred another SplifPria, 

 the perithecium of which was so amalgamated as it were with 

 the perithecium, or stratum proliferum, of the Cryptosporium, 

 as to be hardly, if at all, distinguishable from it. The spo- 

 ridia of this latter Spho'ria were quite different from those 

 of S. Cryptosporii, being broadly elliptic and indistinctly 

 triseptate, I think occasionally quadri-septate. One of the 

 asci of this Sphceria is represented at fig. 14, 



There are several other fungi which have afforded me 

 materials for interesting observations, bearing upon the ques- 

 tions to which this paper relates. It would, however, take too 

 much time and space to discuss them now, but they may I 

 hope form the subject of a future communication. 



* I had found Sphcaria Cryptosporii on one previous occasion in the 

 course of last autumn. It was then imacconipanied by the Vryptosporiwrn. 

 I am unable to determine the wood upon which it occurred, having only 

 one small fraa,ment. 



t These plants of Beticularia maxima took nearly three days to come 

 to perfection. The length of time was probablj^ much greater than it 

 would have been in their natural state, lleticularia atra passes through 

 all its phases in about eight or ten hom's. 



VOL. III. 



