1899J MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 325 



months, possibly for years. The reason for makiug the 

 latter statement will presently appear. But however 

 long or short the plasmodial phase continue, the time of 

 fruit, the reproductive phase, at length arrives. When 

 this time comes, induced partly by a certain maturity in 

 the organism itself, partly no doubt by the trend of ex- 

 ternal conditions, the plasmodium no longer as before 

 evades the light, but pushes to the surface, and appears 

 usually in some elevated or exposed position, the upper 

 side of the log, the top of the stump, the upper surface 

 of its habitat, whatever that may be ; or even leaves its 

 nutrient base entirely and finds lodging on some neigh- 

 boring object. In such emergency the stems and leaves 

 of flowering plants are often made to serve, and even 

 fruits and flowers afford convenient resting places. The 

 object now to be attained is not the formation of fruit 

 alone, but likewise its speedy desiccation and the prompt 

 dispersal of the perfected spores. Nothing can be more 

 interesting than to watch the Slime-mould as its plasmo- 

 dium accomplishes this its last migration. If hitherto its 

 habitat has been the soft interior of a rotten log, it now 

 begins to ooze out in all directions, to well up through 

 the crevices of the bark as if pushed by some energy act- 

 ing in the rear, to stream down upon the ground, to flow 

 in a hundred tiny streams over all the region round about, 

 to climb all stems, ascend all branches, even leaves and 

 flowers, to the height of many inches, all to pass sudden- 

 ly as if by magic charm into one widespread, dusty field 

 of flying spores. Or, to be more exact, whatever the po- 

 sition ultimately assumed, the plasmodium soon becomes 

 quiescent, takes on definite and ultimate shape, which 

 varies greatly, almost for each species. The Slime-moulds 

 were formerly classed with the gasteromycetous fungi, 

 puff'-balls, and in description of their fruiting phase the 

 terms applicable to the description of a puflT-ball are still 

 employed, although it will be understood that the struct- 



