ON THE SEXUALITY OF THE FUNGI. 289 



apogamous PyrenomyceteSjChsetomium^ andPleospora.^ 

 We may no doubt fairly represent these views in such a 

 diagram as the following : 



Pleospora, &c. (completely apogamous) 

 Melanospora (no autlieridium) 



Podospliaera (sexual organs well developed). 



I now proceed to notice a further contribution to our know- 

 ledge of the Ascomycetes, by Eidam.^ Passing over his description 

 of Eremascus albus, a new species and genus (in which the 

 process of conjugation is, however, strongly suggestive of the 

 Zygosporese), we may briefly notice the general absence of 

 any recognisable process of fertilisation, though an ascogonium 

 is always present, and Eidam seems to regard one of the en- 

 veloping branches as an antheridium — morphologically at 

 least. 



This observer has studied the development of the perithecium 

 in Chaetomium. The ascogonium arises as an isolated coiled 

 branch; fine branched hyphse then envelope it. The tufts of 

 fine hyphag may, however, arise independently of ascogonia 

 also. Other cases occur where the ascogonia show no traces of 

 anything but vegetative budding from the hyphae. He regards 

 it as possible that a sexual process occurs in the cases first 

 described, and that all stages of degeneration to complete 

 apogamy occur. Questions of nutrition seem to affect this 

 matter. 



It must be allowed that the figures do not establish this, 

 however, and it seems very questionable if any antheridial branch 

 whatever can be distinguished. 



Sterigmatocystis nidulans is a new species of Fungi 

 allied to Aspergillus and Eurotium. An interesting de- 



^ Zopf. ' Nova Actaj Leop. Car. Akad.,' Bd. xlii. 



2 Bauke, ' Eot. Zeit.,' 1877. 



^ Coliu's 'Beitr. zur Biologic, &c./ B. iii, H. ill. 



