LEVINE: CYTOLOGY OF HYMENOMYCETES 173 
upward with the growth of the sterigma. This growth of the 
sterigma naturally involves flowage of material into it and that 
this movement should express itself in the formation of fibrillar 
strands between the nucleus and the centrosome at the apex of 
the sterigma is certainly to be expected and indicates the relation 
of the nucleus to the metabolic activities of the basidium. The 
strands on this view would be comparable, in general, to the 
kinoplasmic astral rays. 
My preparations show further that when the spore buds out 
on the apex of the sterigma the centrosome is carried up at the 
apex of the growing spore. The fibrillar strands are extended 
also into the spore and appear running through its long axis - 
and maintaining a continuous connection with the nuclei which 
now lie at the middle or towards the base of the basidium (PL. 7, 
FIG. 40, 75; PL. 5, FIG. 41). 
It appears to be generally conceded that these strands are 
associated in some way with the passage of the nuclei into the 
spore. My observations in the Boleti certainly give good ground 
for the contention that they at least direct the course of the 
nuclei into the spores. The fact that, as I find, these strands 
extend through the sterigma and into and through the spore body, 
suggests also that they may be of significance for the apparently 
difficult process of getting the nucleus through the narrow neck 
of the sterigma. 
I find nothing in the Boleti to favor Fries’ (1911') claim that 
the migrating nuclei undergo a characteristic transformation in 
passing into the spore. It is, perhaps, not entirely proven that 
these fibrillar strands are actively contractile kinoplasmic elements 
which pull the nuclei into the spores but the appearances in the 
Boleti certainly suggest such a conclusion. Such a conception is, 
of course, not inconsistent with the view that such strands may 
also constitute a system of lines of flowage of material into the 
young spore. 
SUMMARY 
1. Spores of Pholiota praecox germinated in malt-beef extract 
at room temperature produce multinucleated germ tubes. The 
mycelia in cultures forty-eight hours old are still composed of 
long multinucleated cells. In cultures three days old both 
uninucleated and binucleated cells are found. 
