230 PRACTICAL BOTANY 



ii. The basidia, which are more bulky, and longer : each 

 bears on its end two fine processes (sterigmata) ; at 

 the extreme tip of each of these there appears a swell- 

 ing which develops into the mature spore. Note 

 various stages of development of the sterigmata, and 

 spores. 



VIII. Remove a whole gill carefully from a fresh mushroom, 

 mount it on a slide, without any reagent or cover-slip, and 

 examine its surface with a medium power : it may then be seen 

 that the dark colour is due to the dusky spores, which are 

 thickly distributed over the surface of the gill in pairs, two 

 being produced from each basidium: note further the pale 

 colour of the tissue of the hymenium, and the rounded ends of 

 the paraphyses, and of those basidia which are young, or have 

 already produced mature spores. 



