THE MUSHROOM DIVISION 



503 



Fig. 331. — Field Mushroom. A, vertical section through part of cap (h) 

 at right angles to gills (/), slightly enlarged. B, cross-section through 

 a gill, showing the mass of hyphse (t) continuous with that of the cap, 

 the spore-bearing layer or hymenium (ht/), and the layer (s/0 from 

 which it developes. C, a part of B {"-""-), showing the development 

 of dust-spores {s'-s"") upon the tip of projections from swollen hypha- 

 tips or basidia, and other swollen tips (paraphyses, q) which form a 

 large part of the hymenium but do not produce spores. (Sachs.) 



The possession of hasidia characterizes the class, in which, more- 

 over, sporangia are entirely lacking and scarcely a trace of any 

 sexual organ has been found. 



184. The mushroom division, fungi in general, are most 

 fittingly named after a type which ha.s departed as far as 

 possible from the holophj^ic condition. 



In trj'ing to conceive by what course the higher fungi have evolved, 

 naturalists encounter a peculiar difficulty, for although algte of 

 some sort are presumal^lj^ the starting point of all, the hysterophytic 

 mode of fife soon obhterates almost every peculiarity characterizing 



