of some Siylosporcs of Sphserise. 357 



rounded by fine hairs^. These were either perfectly separate 

 (PI. X. fig. 11) or two or three of them were united to each other 

 without any peduncuhform supporters (fig. 13) . When mois- 

 tened with water, a white tortuous thread issued from the verti- 

 cal orifice of these Sphcerice, and quickly broke up in the water 

 into innumerable simple oval vesicles (fig. 12), which, when 

 moistened with dilute solution of iodine, acquired, like starch, a 

 beautiful violet colour, and when preserved in glycerine, dis- 

 appeared in a little time. 



This is probably the first known example of a starch -reaction 

 in the spores of Fungi, as which (and, indeed, as stylospores) I 

 think these corpuscles must be regarded ; and although a similar 

 reaction of the spores was observed by Currey in the Lichens, 

 and, indeed, in the plant named Amylospora tremelloides by that 

 botanist, it is nevertheless worthy of notice as certainly a very 

 rare occurrence among the Fungi in general. 



For, to my knowledge, this starch-reaction has been observed 

 in Fungi only in the filamentous excrescences of some species of 

 Erysibe by Tulasne, in the tissues of the fruit of Septoria Ulmi 

 by Mohl, and in the mycelium oi Pohj stigma rubrum andfidvum 

 by Bary. The behaviour of this tissue, in the iodized condition, 

 towards glycerine is not mentioned by these observers : it cer- 

 tainly behaves differently from the starch-grains of the Lichens 

 which react in the same way with iodine ; for these (at least in 

 Cetraria islandica) retain their form and reaction for years when 

 preserved in glycerine. Consequently these spores of Sphceria 

 must possess a peculiar chemical constitution, of which hitherto 

 nothing has been known. 



I found a very singular form of stylospore in a Sphreriacean 

 which was growing, in June, in the tissues of the leaf-sheaths, 

 chaff, and straw of Festuca ovinaf. 



The Sphceria, completely concealed beneath the epidermis of 

 the stem, which is blackened at these spots, stand close together 

 in groups without any amalgamation ; they are nearly spherical 

 in form, and have a very small vertical orifice, which is just 



• Although I observed no pevithecia furnished with spore-sacs, but only 

 the so-called ])vcni(les, this ])lant, from its similarity of habit to the Sj)h{cri(e 

 of the section *' villosjc " of Fries, may be placed, until we know more about 

 it, in the vicinity of S. cancscens, Pers., and denominated S. amylospora. 



t In the leaves of the same Festuca there was a Nematoid worm resem- 

 bling Anrjuillula Dipsaci. Tiiis worm, which has still to be carefully 

 studied, ^vas discovered near Stralsund by M. Heinrich, who was kind 

 enough to communicate it to me. The worm lays its eggs in grou})s in the 

 parenchyma of the leaf, and then dies beside them ; they are at once deve- 

 loped into young worms, and probably, like A. Tritici, pass the winter in 

 an ase.\ual condition in the place of their birth. 



