lOO Natural History Bulletin. 



The Slime-moulds present in the course of their life-history 

 two very distinct phases; the vegetative, or growing, assimi- 

 lating phase, and the reproductive. The former is in many 

 cases inconspicuous and therefore, unobserved; the latter, 

 generally receives more or less attention at the hands of the 

 collector of fungi. The vegetative phase differs from the 

 correspondent phase of all other plants in that it exhibits 

 extreme simphcity of structure, if structure that may be called 

 which consists of a simple mass of protoplasm destitute of 

 cell-wall, proteid in form and amoeboid in its movements. 

 This phase of the Slime-mould is described as plasmodial, 

 and it is proper to designate the vegetative phase in any 

 species, as the Plasmodium of the species, it w^as formerly 

 taught that the plasmodium is unicellular, but more recent 

 authorities have shown that the plasmodial protoplasm is, at 

 least in some species, multi-nuclear. Nevertheless, in this 

 phase, the Slime-mould is hardly to be distinguished from 

 any other protoplasmic mass, may be compared to a giant 

 amoeba and justifies in so far the views of those systematists 

 who would remove the Shme-moulds from the domain of the 

 botanist altogether, and call them animals. The plasmodium 

 is often quite large. It may frequently be found covering 

 with manifold ramifications and net-like sheets the surface of 

 some convenient substratum for the space of several square 

 feet. 



The substance of the plasmodium has about the consistency 

 of the white of an Q.gg\ is slippery to the touch, tasteless and 

 odorless. Plasmodia vary in color in different species and at 

 different times in the same species. The prevailing tint is 

 yellow, but may be brown, orange, red, ruby-red, violet, in 

 fact anything but green. Young plasmodia in certain species 

 are colorless {^Chondrioderma Jlori/orme), i"nany have a pecu- 

 liar ecru or cream}- tint difficult to define. In its plasmodial 

 state, as has been said, the Slime-mould affects damp or moist 

 situations, and is found during warm weather in humus, on 

 piles of rotten leaves, straw, but especially on and in the wet 



