52 FUNGI. 



surface branches of different number and size, each of which 

 forms a sporangium at its point. The sporangia which are 

 formed later are often very similar, but sometimes very different, 

 to those which first appeared, because their partition is very 

 thick and does not fall to pieces when it is ripe, but irregu- 

 larly breaks off, or remains entire, enclosing the spores, and at 

 last falls to the ground, when the fungus withers. The cross 

 partition which separates the sporangia from its bearers is in 

 those which are first formed (which are always relatively thicker 

 sporangia) very strongly convex, while those which follow later 

 are often smaller, and in little weak specimens much less arched, 

 and sometimes quite straight. After a few days, similar filaments 

 generally show themselves on the dung between the sporangia- 

 bearers, which appear to the naked eye to be provided with deli- 

 cate white frills. Where such an one is to be found, two to four 

 rectangular expanding little branches spring up to the same 

 height round the filament. Each of these, after a short and 

 simple process, branch out into a furcated form ; the furcations 

 being made in such a manner that the ends of the branch at last 

 so stand together that their surface forms a ball. Finally, each 

 of the ends of a branch swells to a little round sporangium, 

 which is limited by a partition (called sporaugiolum, to distin- 

 guish it from the larger ones), in which some, generally four, 

 spores are formed in the manner already known. When the 

 sporangiola are alone, they have such a peculiar appearance, with 

 their richly-branched bearers, that they can be taken for some- 

 thing quite different to the organs of the Mucor mucedo, and 

 were formerly not considered to belong to it. That they really 

 belong to the Mucor is shown by the principal filament which it 

 bears, not always, but very often, ending with a large sporan- 

 gium, which is characteristic of the Mucor mucedo ; it is still 

 more evident if we sow the spores of the sporangiolum, for, as 

 it germinates, a mycelium is developed, which, near a simple 

 bearer, can form large sporangia, and those form sporangiola, 

 the first always considerably preponderating in number, and 

 very often exclusively. If we examine a large number of speci- 

 mens, we find every possible middle form between the simple 



