152 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



for the discharge of them all. The great difficulty in verifying 

 this hypothesis is that of observing what happens to the end of 

 the sterigma at the moment of spore-discharge. However, the 

 following facts seem to be distinctly in its favour: (1) Successive 

 discharge of the four spores, (2) absence of drops on the end of 

 the sterigmata or on the spores immediately after discharge, 

 (3) apparent closed condition of the sterigmata after ejecting 

 their spores, and (4) non-collapse of the sterigmata and basidium 

 as the spores disappear. 



