1906] | OVERTON—THECOTHEUS PELLETLERI 469 
already multinucleate, some containing as many as a dozen nuclei, 
each much larger than those of the vegetative cells. Fig. 1 shows 
a young fruit body with sections of several ascogonia, each of whose 
cells are multinucleate. No connections between the adjacent 
cells could be observed. 
Unlike Ryparobius and like Boudiera, Thecotheus has a com- 
pound fruit body. Fig. r represents a section of a young ascocarp, 
in which several ascogonia are present. One ascogonium, composed 
of several multinucleate cells, is shown, which resembles in shape the 
ascogonium of Ascobolus. In the same section, surrounded by the 
same investment of vegetative hyphae, may be seen also sections of 
several other ascogonia. These ascogonia are always closely inter- 
woven, so that they are cut in different planes. Other views of the 
same ascogonia appear in adjacent sections of this ascocarp. 
Concurrently with the development of ascogenous hyphae, invest- 
ing vegetative hyphae encircle the ascogonia, the young ascogenous 
hyphae, and the asci. This condition can be seen in fig. 2. Rem- 
nants of the ascogonia are still plainly visible, and the branching 
 ascogenous hyphae can be seen to contain several nuclei, each with 
a single nucleolus. The nuclei of the ascogenous hyphae are from 
three to four times as large as those of the paraphyses, making them 
therefore easily distinguishable. Each cell of the vegetative tissue 
contains several nuclei. I have been unable to find any regular 
series of binucleate cells. 
The developing ascogenous hyphae are profusely branched, pur- 
suing such irregular paths that it is impossible to follow their course 
for any great distance. Transverse longitudinal and oblique sections 
appear in the preparations, which are only mere fragments of the 
whole system (jig. 2). From fig. 2, however, it is plain that the 
ascogenous hyphae develop considerably before transverse septa are 
put in. The nuclei are especially abundant near the tips of the 
branches. At the time the cell division is complete, the tips of the 
branches of the ascogenous hyphae are bent backward as they push 
upward among other branches and paraphyses. The terminal cell 
is uninucleate, while the subterminal cell is binucleate. The nuclei 
of these branches can be seen to be considerably larger than those 
of the ascogonium (fig. 4). From these binucleate subterminal cells 
