10 Reprodtiction in the Mushroom Tribe. By W. G. Smith. 



For a proper comprehension, however, of this minute fangus 

 much more than a superficial examination is necessary, and the first 

 thing to be done in the way of dissection is to secure a good longi- 

 tudinal section of the fungus from top to bottom, as shown in 

 Fig. 2 (J) ; this enlarged H5 diameters, at once shows the immense 

 number of cells which go to make up one of the fugitive little 

 plants belonging to Coprinus radiatus. By reference to the figure 

 it will be seen that the stratum of flesh which forms the pileus is 

 only six or seven cells in thickness, and the external surface is 

 covered with a few hairs of difierent sizes (the remnants of the uni- 

 versal veil or wrapjser), some of the smaller hairs being tipped with a 

 gland. Another good vertical segmental section across the cap and 

 gills will show the appearance of the plicato-radiate outer surface 

 of the pileus to be caused by a series of cracks which are brought 

 about by the necessarily sudden expansion of the cap, which act of 

 expansion tears (in these positions) the component cells of the pileus 

 apart, Fig. 1, E, and Fig. 2, K. A transverse section through the 

 fungus when in an infant state shows the commencement of these 

 fissures, as at Fig. 1, I, and Fig. 2, L, The gills have no trace of 

 a trama, the so-called trama being the cells which form the sub- 

 stance between the hymenium in the gills ; if present this substance 

 would be at M M, Fig. 2 ; but one of the characters of the genus 

 Coprinus is that the gills have no distinct immediate substance in 

 the gills. In the plant under examination the lamellae or gills are 

 free Irom, and form a collar round the stem (Fig. 2, N), and are 

 only about seven cells in thickness. 



Good sections down and across this stem when young will show 

 it (gossamer-like as it is) to be piped or hollow from top to bottom 

 (Fig. 2, 0), and the hairs seen at the base (PP) are the torn 

 remains of the veil or wrapper which once held the edge of the 

 pileus (Q) down to the base of the stem. In this figure several 

 spores may be seen at the base, carried up amongst the cells of the 

 stem. On looking at an entire plant of C. radiatus in this way under 

 a low power of the microscope it appears to be formed of a few 

 thousands of cells only, but if these cells are now measured and 

 counted, which is by no means a difiicult matter, it will be found 

 that instead of tliousands it really requires millions of individual 

 cells to build up one of these minute plants which a breath destroys. 

 The smallness and lightness of one fungus is such that it requires 

 150 specimens to weigh a grain, or 72,000 to weigh an ounce troy. 

 In the type specimen of G. radiatus now figured there were 

 22,560,000 cells in its structure irrespective of the spores, which 

 numbered about 3,200,000 more. If all these cells and spores are 

 only equivalent to the hundred-and-fiftieth part of a grain, it 

 follows that in an ounce of fungus cells there must be no less than 

 one billion six hundred and twenty-four thousand millions of these 



