that exists with us) is not a common plant. I found it rarely the past 

 season in Sweden on pine boards, it grows caespitose, the white my- 

 celium spreading over the rotten wood. The young plant is partly 

 imbedded and is at first white, and covered with this mycelial layer. 

 A section at this stage shows the young peridiole in the center (white, 

 750 mic.), surrounded by two distinct, yellowish peridia, the inner 

 white (60 mic.), the outer yellow (120 mic.). Both of these peridia 

 are composed of large, globose cells (parenchymatous tissue) 2 and are 

 imbedded in the white, gelatinous, mycelial layer (composed of fila- 

 mentous tissue). As the plant develops, it emerges from the mycelial 

 (gelatinous layer), as shown in Fig. 245, where several young plants 

 are shown, the lower one fully emerged. At this stage the outer perid- 



Sphaerobol 



Fig. 246 (X 6 . 

 stellatus before the ejection of the peridiole. 



ium chiefly shows, and as this peridium is yellow, the plant is usually 

 described as yellow. 



The next stage of development (Fig. 246) both peridia open at 

 the top, exposing the reddish brown peridiole. This opening takes 

 place gradually. If a section is now made, the peridia are found to 

 be cup-shaped, the inner white, nesting in the outer yellow. These 

 two peridia are united at the top and break irregularly, as shown in 

 our Fig. 246. There are no regular, stellate lobes, as usually shown 

 in illustrations which are copied from old pictures. At length the 

 inner peridium suddenly turns out and ejects the peridiole with some 

 force. It is said to be accompanied by a slight noise. I can not vouch 

 for that. But the peridiole is thrown from one to five inches, depend- 



-I could not note that there was any material difference in the cellular structure of 

 there peridia as shown in the usual illustration. 



432 



