1896 ] CERTAIN PYRENOMYCETOUS FUNGI 319 
cerning the earliest stages of the perithecia could be discovered. 
Colonies grown in agar were next tried. These were fixed, 
hardened, and embedded in much the same manner as those 
grown on stems. This also proved unsatisfactory. The cut ends 
of the mycelial threads were deceptive, and although some very 
suggestive features appeared no positive conclusions could be 
drawn. Anattempt was next made to study the colonies in cell- 
cultures and in the agar plates in which they grew. The latter 
proved more nearly successful than any of the former methods, 
but still much was concealed by the cloudiness of the agar and 
the fact that few colonies grew close enough to the surface to 
be focused upon with the higher power objectives. Finally the 
plan of growing on glass slips was adopted and gave the desired 
results. Slides bearing colonies were removed from the dishes 
at successive short intervals and treated as before described. 
The greatest caution was necessary to keep the colonies in situ. 
Unless they had grown very close to the slide they were speedily 
tumbled into a tangled, shapeless mass by the action of the fluids. 
The colonies which grew floating in the liquids required endless 
patience in preparation, but in this delicate material, when it was 
Successfully prepared and mounted in glycerine, the long sought 
beginnings of perithecia were finally discovered. They occurred 
such abundance as to leave no doubt of their function. They 
vere noticeable first as deeply stained spots scattered thickly 
through the mycelium and varying in size froma little more than 
the diameter of the mycelium to one-fourth that of the diameter 
a“ @normally mature perithecium. This amount of variation in 
‘ize could be seen usually in a single preparation, and so slight 
and uniform were the gradations from the larger to the smaller 
that there remained no doubt of the two being identical struc- 
‘ures. The smallest of these bodies consisted of a short swollen 
— arising from a primary branch of the my cee and 
oe diately becoming curved. From this short slightly curved 
ach (fig. 33) to the several coiled type (fig. 34) all inter- 
Mediate Stages were found. The size and shape varied greatly , 
aad from the various assortment only the more typical forms 
