74 



FRANCIS DARWIN. 



The Contractile Filaments of Amanita (Agaricus) mus- 

 CARiA and DiPSACus Sylvestris. By Francis Dauwin, M.B. 



The contractile filaments of Amanita [Agaricus) muscaria 

 were discovered by Professor IIofFinann, of Giessen, and described 

 by him in 1853, and again with a figure in 1859J In the 

 latter of the above papers Hoff'mann remarks that the filaments 

 have received but small attention from physiologists, and since 

 1859 the only mention of them which 1 know of is in a paper 

 by Professor de Bary.^ 



Professor Hoffmann was so good as to call my attention to the 

 existence of the filaments, with the suggestion that they might 

 be of interest to me in relation to my observations on the con- 

 tractile filaments of the teasel.^ 



From want both of time and material, I only made a few ob- 

 servations on the filaments of Agaricus, and I have but little to 

 add to the observations of Hoff'mann and de Bary. 



Amanita [Agaricus) muscaria, the Fly Agaric, is well known to 

 all from its conspicuous crimson pileus covered with little white 

 warts. The ring on the stem hangs down freely, and blends 

 with the surface of the stem itself; the upjjer surface of the ring 

 or outer surface of the stem is covered with a delicate, creamy 

 coating of whitish-yellow colour. On removing a small portion 



Figs. 1 and 2. — P.)rti()ns of t.lie external surface of the stem of the fly 

 agaric teased out in water (x t^iO), sliowin<; the inteilacinj^ cells 

 beariiif; the contraclilc (ilameuls. Drawn with Zeiss' camera (objective, 

 Hartnack, No. 9j. 



' " Ueher contractile Gebilde bei Blatterschwamnien," ' Botan. Zeitung,' 

 1853, p. 857 ; 'Botan. Zeituii<^,' 1S5'.), p. 214, taf. xi, fi?, 17. 



- " l)ie neuere Arheiten iihcrdie Schleini|)ilze," &c., ' Fh)ra,' 1SG2, p. 201;. 

 ' 'Ciuarterly Journal of Microscopical Science,' July, 1877. 



