272 MTHALIUM. PART ii. 



The motions of the plastic matter contained within 

 the dust-like spores of the .ZEthalium septicum exhibit 

 amoeban motions of the same character as its mycelium. 

 For when M. de Bary placed ripe spores of that fungus 

 in water, their skin burst open and the plastic granular 

 matter was set free under the form of a coherent glo- 

 bular mass without any exterior membrane. These 

 globular corpuscles exhibited amoeba-like changes of 

 form; processes were pushed out, and then drawn 

 in, till at last they assumed an elongated cylindrical 

 shape round at one end, prolonged at the anterior end 

 into a long cilium with which they turned convulsively 

 round their axis. At the same time vacuoles were 

 frequently seen to expand and contract alternately 

 in the round extremity. Ultimately these bodies lost 

 their middle, and at last were divided into two equal 

 parts, each of which went through the same changes 

 as the primary globule, and at length assumed the 

 ciliated active form. Besides these active bodies, there 

 were others which never acquired cilia. The motile 

 bodies were also discovered in other species of these 

 fungi by M. Hoffmann ; there can be no doubt that 

 they are either zoospores, or of the same nature as the 

 eel-shaped motile bodies in some of the Algse ; possibly 

 the bodies which never acquire cilia may be germ cells. 

 There is still much obscurity with regard to the 

 IVfyxogastres, inasmuch as the origin of their mycelium 

 is unknown, whilst in all other fungi mycelium or spawn 

 are produced by the germination of the spores. The 

 spiral vessels found in the threads of the Trichia prove 

 that the members of this singular family are truly 

 vegetables. Professor Fries places the geographical 

 maximum or centre in the temperate zone, but different 

 species are found from New Zealand to high northern 

 latitudes. 



The Nidulariacei constitute a beautiful order of this 



