464 Meycn's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 



relation an orthotropic ovulum stands to a trepanotropic spore, 

 &c. The oil-globules in the spores are composed, according 

 to M. Corda's analysis, of fotty oil in large quantities and an 

 acrid actherial oil. 



M. Corda also asserts, that in 1833 he pronounced the 

 antheridia of the fleshy Fungi to be anthers, and I have shown 

 in my last Report, that these bodies were first mentioned as 

 generative organs by Bulliard : M. Corda is quite wrong in 

 saying that I stated these organs to be paraphysEc, for such 

 an idea never entered my mind. We have, however, often 

 drawn attention to the curious fact, that the so-called anthers, 

 if they really do effectuate the fertilization of the spores, do not 

 appear more frequently and constantly ; and to this M. Corda 

 replies, that there are whole families among the Cryptogams 

 where only spores are found. We may, however, say that this 

 objection does not apply to the Fungi, for we at present know 

 that in those families where male organs have been found, 

 they make their appearance in all genera and all species ; in 

 the Fungi on the contrary, and let us only consider the pilei- 

 form and fleshy Fungi, these organs do not appear regularly 

 in two very similar species. 



M. Corda moreover compares these fungus-anthers with the 

 single pollen-grains of the higher plants, and not with the an- 

 thers, a view held probably by most botanists who have written 

 on this subject ; he calls them Pollinaria, a denomination 

 which has already been used in quite a different sense. One 

 statement of M. Corda is very remarkable and worthy of fur- 

 ther examination, viz. that the Boleti, during the development 

 of the anthers, have no trace of the basidia and of the forma- 

 tion of spores, and that these are principally formed when 

 the anthers are almost fully developed. [In Ayai^icus and Po- 

 lyporus I have formerly directed my attention to this subject, 

 but have not observed anything which could lead to this con- 

 clusion ; and in some species of Boletus it is not uncommon 

 to find fully-developed anthers in old, decaying individuals.] 

 M. Corda correctly remarks, that the paraphyses of the Asco- 

 mycetce are not to be compared to the anthers of the above- 

 mentioned Fungi. The contents of the anthers are composed, 

 according to M. Corda, of a consistent jelly, which sometimes 

 contains molecules, but sometimes has no distinguishable 

 structure ; it is emptied in drops through the point of the 

 cellular sac, and then covers the external surface with a layer 

 of gum, which is often slightly coloured ; by means of this 

 substance tlie spores adhere: whether however, says M. Corda, 

 this fluid fecundates the spore, cannot be ascertained. 



Mr. Berkeley* has examined the structure of the fruit-bear- 

 * Ann. Nat. Hist. Nov, 1839, p. 1.55. 



