174 KOLLIK.ER, ON VEGETABLE PARASITES. 



fibres, besides the fungoid structures, presented no other 

 elements, in the larger might be observed a certain number of 

 silicious spicule, some of which were simple elongated 

 needles with a club-shaped, thickened end at one extremity ; 

 some in the form of a trident, and disposed sometimes 

 heaped together in the axis of the fibre, sometimes with 

 their points projecting more or less above its surface. 



Now, with respect to the vegetable parasite, this growth is 

 visible, in my specimen, on all the fibres, without exception, 

 in the greatest profusion. (PI. VIII, fig. 1.) It is a unicellular 

 fungus, whose filaments measure, for the most part, between 

 0-001'" and 0-002'" ; and, in my dried preparations, all contain 

 air, which renders it very easy to trace them. But even when 

 the air is expelled by water or hydrochloric acid, they are still 

 very readily seen; whilst glycerine and balsam render them 

 so indistinct that, at any rate, all the ramifications are not 

 well shown. As regards their disposition and course, in 

 general two kinds of filaments may be distinguished; a 

 deeper set, which are longer and straighter, and a super- 

 ficial, which are much branched. The former, usually of 

 rather larger size, run in a straight or slightly serpentine 

 course, sometimes in the axis of the horny fibre, though, 

 in the thicker fibres, on the outside of the spicule there 

 assembled, but sometimes, at any rate, at a certain distance 

 from the surface. They ramify but very sparingly, except 

 that they give off a good many branches, which proceed to 

 the surface of the fibre at a right angle. Occasionally, how- 

 ever, in preparations well filled with air, I have noticed 

 tubuli furnished with ramuscules running out to a fine 

 point, frequently assembled into bundles, and so numerous, 

 as to give the tubule from which they spring the appear- 

 ance of the stem of a rose. Widely different was 

 the habit of the superficial filaments which exist in such 

 abundance in the outermost layers of the horny fibres, as 

 to afford, when the surface is brought into focus, the 

 appearance, as stated by Bowerbank, as if the filaments were 

 surrounded with a network of tubules. When these fila- 

 ments are examined more closely, it will be seen that they 

 are prolongations from the inner filaments, and are some- 

 times richly branched, and sometimes also anastomosing. 

 The branches are, for the most part, spread out hori- 

 zontally ; and it is these, as I think I have certainly con- 

 vinced myself, which, in some cases, are connected together ; 

 a condition which, it is well known, is observed in the 

 mycelium of various fungi. But, besides these, numerous 

 very short offsets arise from the superficial filaments, most 

 of which proceed directly outwards, and appear, in fact, 



