RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



p was 

 f the 



FIG. 24. Coprinui! plicatilia. Geotropic swiu-in- and adjust- 

 ment of the pilens in space. A fruit-body was placed 

 in the position shown at o, and after 2 hours it had 

 assumed the position shown at b. The sketches b-o were 

 made in succession at intervals of half-an-hour. 

 drawn 1 hour after o. The plane of the base o 

 pilens became horizontal after 3 hours (d), much over- 

 tilted after4 hours( f), again horizontal after 5 hours(/<), 

 much over-tilted asjaiu after 6-6'5 hours 0' and fc). asjain 

 horizontal after 7'5 hours, very slis-htly over-tilted for 

 the last time after 8 hours (n), and finally horizontal 

 after 8'5 hours (o). The horizontal position was still 

 maintained after 9'5 hours (p). Natural size. 



once more to the extent 

 of about 2 (n). It then 

 rebent itself for the fourth 

 and last time, and brought 

 the plane of the pileus 

 into a horizontal position, 

 where it finally remained 

 (o and p). The sketches 

 6 to o in Fig. 24 were all 

 made in succession at in- 

 tervals of half-an-hour. 

 The formation of a black 

 spore- deposit beneath the 

 fruit - body was noticed 

 subsequently to the 

 stage j. 



The physiological 

 swinging of a fruit-body 

 of Coprinus plicatilis 

 about its objective and 

 final position forcibly 

 reminds one of the oscil- 

 latory movements of a 

 pendulum under the 

 action of gravity. It 

 finds its parallel in the 

 well-known geotropic re- 

 sponses of shoots in the 

 Phanerogamia. We are 

 thus provided with an- 

 other striking piece of 

 evidence that protoplasm 

 has the same fundamental 

 characteristics through- 

 out the vegetable king- 

 dom. A further investi- 

 gation upon the pheno- 



