TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION K, 825 
Monascus Barkeri. He agrees with the author that the fructification is not an 
invested sporangium, but an ascocarp containing numerous small asci, but differs 
as to the sexual nature cf the archicarp, and affirms that a layer of nutritive 
hyphe surrounds the asci in the place of the enlarged central cell. Ikeno, on the 
other hand, disputes the presence of asci, and declares that spore-formation takes 
place in an enlarged sporangium-like central cell by the massing together and 
subsequent division of dense portions of its protoplasm. 
The author has made a fresh examination of both species, confirms his 
previous results for M. Barkeri, and finds that M. purpureus yields corresponding 
results, the only points of difference being the formation of a basal cell in the 
ascogonium in many instances and the production of a more vivid red pigment 
in the case of the latter species. Fusion between the antheridial branch and the 
ascogonium occurs before the division of the ascogonium, but nuclear fusion at this 
stage has not been observed with certainty, although pairs of nuclei have been 
frequently found. The central cell swells considerably, and eventually almost 
completely encircles the ascogenous hyphe which originate from it. The cells of 
the ascogenous hyph are often multinucleate, in which case the nuclei are 
usually paired, but in many instances they are binucleate. The asci appear to be 
developed from the sub-terminal binucleate cells of branches of these hyphe, 
the nuclei fusing and the fusion nucleus then dividing to form eight daughter- 
nuclei, which become the nuclei of the spores. The spores are formed in the 
manner described by Harper for other Ascomycetes. By repeated cultivation of 
M. purpureus in beer-wort at 34° C.a variety was isolated which produced conidia 
only, although normally ascocarps are also formed. 
20. Further Observations on the Ascocarp of Ryparobius. 
By B. T. P. Barker, JA. 
In an earlier paper on this subject it was shown that the archicarp of a species 
of Ryparobius therein described possessed the characters of the archicarp of 
Thelebolus, as described by Brefeld, and differed from those of other species of 
Ryparobius, as figured by Zukal. Recently in some old cultures archicarps were 
found which, while retaining the typical structure in essentials, varied from the 
usual type as to the position and the manner of development, and resembled in 
many respects the type described by Zukal. Further details have also been 
obtained concerning the cytology of the ascocarp at various stages of its develop- 
ment. Both the antheridial branch and the ascogonium are uninucleate when first 
formed ; but subsequent nuclear division occurs in each organ near the time of 
fusion. The fusion takes place at the point of contact of these structures, this 
usually being at or near their apices. Probably a nucleus passes from the former 
to the latter at this period, and shortly afterwards walls are formed in both, so 
that the resulting cells are uninucleate, with the exception of the subterminal cell 
of the ascogonium, which is sometimes found to contain two nuclei close together. 
Investing hyphe then develop and encircle the ascogonium, which enlarges 
considerably and for a short period consists of a row of several uninucleate cells. 
These are later found in a binucleate, or occasionally a quadrinucleate, condition. 
From them ascogenous hyphse arise, and the asci are formed from their binucleate 
subterminal cells. The two nuclei in these fuse together, and the fusion nucleus 
enlarges to an enormous extent, keeping pace with the growth of the ascus. The 
nucleolus now becomes a most striking structure, considerably larger than the 
vegetative nuclei, and containing apparently almost the whole of the chromatin of 
the nucleus, so that the nuclear body resembles alarge vacuole. Nuclear division 
then takes place, the nucleolus giving up chromatin and showing very distinct 
signs of a reticulated structure. The number of chromosomes is probably not less 
than eight. Successive divisions take place very rapidly, and when sixty-four 
nuclei are formed they become regularly grouped in dense granular protoplasm 
around the periphery of the ascus. Other series of divisions now usually occur, 
