ON THE SEXUALITY OF THE FUNGI. 295 



The first and most important fact with regard to the scheme 

 is that if we pay regard to the terminal members of most of 

 the main branches^ we notice that they are all or nearly all 

 jiarasitic forms, or, at any rate, include such forms. 



The higher Ascomycetes offer us the following examples 

 from different branches, the Lichens, Pleosporas, &c., Clavi- 

 ceps, &C.J and Peziza sclerotioides. 



Then come the Uredinese (we need not necessarily ima- 

 gine the Tremellas and Basidiomycetes as derived from the 

 highest Uredinese; the evidence does not decide this), all 

 strongly parasitic. 



The Ustilaginese of course are parasites par excellence, 

 and they terminate a side series. 



We have still two main groups to deal with — the Sapro- 

 legnise (which, so far as known, are mostly saprophytes) and 

 the Zygospore ae, which are also generally saprophytes. Our 

 very imperfect knowledge oftheBasidiomycetes will be cited 

 as an excuse for putting them aside in what follows : I do 

 not for a moment under-value what we do know of them, but, 

 as the sequel will show, their present position becomes more 

 and more anomalous, if we really know the entire life-history. 

 Of course we have no right to quarrel with the evidence, but 

 the story of these Fungi, as told at present, completely nega- 

 tives their being included in the scheme to follow, and we must 

 therefore neglect them for the moment, merely reminding the 

 reader that some of them are parasitic. 



Neglecting the Basidiomycetes, then, we may proceed to 

 note that not only are the terminal groups of the series named 

 usually parasites, but that it is just in those groups which are 

 most intensely parasitic that least hope of our discovering 

 sexual organs exists. In the Zygomycetes, on the other 

 hand, we have the sexual process and typical saprophytic 

 habits together, while in the Saprolegnise the case seems 

 doubtful. 



Looking still more closely into the matter, it appears as if 

 the absence or presence of sexual organs (or their rudiments) 

 rises or falls with the nature of the parasitism or saprophytism 



