104 FUNGI. 



towards the surface the filaments become extremely 

 slender and branched ; and each branch is terminated 

 by a minute oblong spore, or a short row of them 

 (fig. 31). 



If a stick with this Fungus upon it be kept for some 

 time in a damp place, short whitish fibres, branched 

 at the ends, and visible to the naked eye, will be seen 

 sprouting from around the base of the receptacle 

 (PL VIII. fig. 1). These, when examined under the 

 microscope, appear composed of fine filaments (PL 

 VIII. fig. 2), resembling those of Tuber cularia, and 

 having the minute spores at the ends. After a con- 

 siderable time, the entire receptacle of the Tubercu- 

 laria becomes resolved into these fibres. In this 

 state the Fungus assumes the characters of an Isdria, 

 a genus of a different family of Fungi (Isariacei), so 

 that we have here an /s0H#-form of Tubercularia. 



Sometimes the tubercles of the Tubercularia be- 

 come darker, almost black, harder, and granular on the 

 surface. On making a section of them in this state, 

 the whole of the under portion of the surface is found 

 to contain little roundish capsules, containing asci 

 and spores, and it constitutes Sphdriafragifor'mis (PL 

 VII. fig. 32). As the Spharia is the more complex 

 and highly organized condition of this Fungus, the 

 other two conditions must be regarded as forms, and 

 not as species of separate genera. 



DEMATIE'I. In this family the filaments upon 

 which the spores are placed are not compacted as in 

 Tubercularia, but separate ; and they are of a dark 

 brown or black colour. 



Sporoc'ybe alterndta (PL VII. fig. 18) is occasion- 

 ally found upon decaying vegetable substances, form- 

 ing little black velvety spots or patches. The my- 

 ceHal filaments are exceedingly minute, septate, ta- 

 pering at the ends, and terminated by a little tuft of 

 pear-shaped cells, from which the black simple spores 

 arise singly. 



