482 The Botanical Gazette. [November, 
also varies greatly, resembling in most cases those of G. si/i- 
quaeformis, but often densely granular throughout. In some 
instances the zoospores have seemed to be biciliate. 
MYRIOBLEPHARIS. ‘ 
In examining the material from which the species of Mon- 
oblepharis already described were derived, I encountered in 
one instance a singular fungus, remarkable alike for its ener- 
getic movements and the unusual character of its zoospores, 
to which I propose to give the above generic name. In a hasty 
examination of several preparations the form was at first 
passed over as an animal, perhaps a rotifer or some similar or- 
ganism, which had attached itself, either by accident or as a 
parasite, upon the sporangium of a Pythium. Further in- 
vestigation, however, made it clear that the surprisingly 
active mass of protoplasm which commonly terminates the 
plant was concerned in the production of its zoospores, the 
formation of which was watched from beginning to end in a 
number of specimens. 
The vegetative body of the fungus consists of slender, con- 
tinuous hyphz which, arising for the most part singly from 
the substratim and remaining simple or becoming sparingly 
branched, bear at their tips the peculiar sporangia represented 
in the illustrations (figs. 1-4). The primary sporangium 1s 
broadly oblong, or elliptic, terminally broadly papillate, and 
at maturity emits its contents very rapidly in the form of a 
single mass of protoplasm which at once commences a apes 
modic irregularly rotary movement, the violence of which 
constantly increases. This mass remains adherent to the ex- 
tremity of the empty sporangium which immediately begins 
to become proliferous, a new sporangium forming within it 
very rapidly and at maturity discharging its contents as in 
the first instance. Asa result of this second discharge the 
first mass is carried up by the second (fig. 2), and each con- 
tinues its rotating motion, while a third sporangium begins 
to form rapidly as before within the empty walls of the sec- 
on When this third sporangium is beginning to approach 
maturity, the mass first discharged divides rather rapidly into 
usually four parts (fig. 3), which undergo very violent move- 
ments, whirling around upon one another with great rapidity, 
but still retaining their position at the summit of the mass 
discharged from the second sporangium. The third sporan- 
