MYXOMYCETES. 



coalesce and form large masses of protoplasm, plasmodia, which 

 in the " Flowers of Tan " may attain the size of the palm of a 

 hand, or even larger, but in most others are smaller. The plas- 

 modia are independent, cream-like masses of protoplasm, often 

 containing grains of carbonate of lime and colouring matter (the 

 latter yellow in the Flowers of Tan). 

 They creep about in the decaying matter 

 in which they live, by means of amoeboid 

 movements, internal streamings of the pro- 



FIG. 3. Four sporangia of 

 Stemonitis J'usca, fixed on a 

 branch, a The plasmodium. 



FIG. 2. The plasmodinm (a) of Stemoni'is fusca, com- 

 mencing to form into sporangia (b) ; drawn on July 9. 

 The dark-brown sporangia were completely formed by 

 the next morning ; c-e shows the development of their 

 external form. 



toplasm continually taking place ; finally 

 they creep out to the surface, and very 

 often attach themselves to other objects, 

 such as Mosses, and form sporangia (Fig. 

 2). These are stalked or sessile and are 

 generally cylindrical (Fig. 3), spherical 

 or pear-shaped (Fig. 4) ; they rarely attain 

 a larger size than that of a pin's head, and 

 are red, brown, white, blue, yellow, etc., with a very delicate wall. 

 In some genera maybe found a " Capillitium " (Fig. 4 cp), or net- 

 work of branched fine strands between the spores. Flowers of 



FIG. 4. Sporangium of Av- 

 cyria incarnata. J5 closed; C 

 open ; j> wall of sporangium ; 

 cp capilitium. 



