THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 95 



of the fungus, and observing them carefully under different 

 powers of the microscope, I obtained the following results : — 

 Under the i-inch objective the section appeared to have three 

 distinct layers, the lowest layer consisting entirely of anastomising 

 hyphse, which had firmly fastened themselves to and penetrated 

 into the interstices of the small portions of charcoal which still 

 adhered to the fungus. These hyphse grew upwards into the 

 second layer, which was much denser. The denseness was 

 occasioned partly by the hyphae having begun to sprout and 

 give off sporophores, and partly by the hyphae having interwoven 

 into a more compact mass. The upper is very different from the 

 lower and middle layers ; the hyphse are hardly seen, but the 

 whole layer is apparently composed of large rough-looking cells. 

 When a few of these cells were placed under a ^^-inch power it 

 was quite evident that they were not single cells, but what De 

 Bary calls compound sporophores. They greatly resemble in 

 appearance a bunch of wattle blossoms, each apparent blossom 

 springing in a sessile manner, sometimes from the end, sometimes 

 from the joint of one of the hyphse. Under a i-inch power their 

 structure is more visible, but still rather confused. However, De 

 Bary thus describes the construction of a compound sporophore, 

 and it exactly tallies with the appearance of one of these as seen 

 under a high power: — "The first sprout cell puts out one new 

 protuberance from the apex which is remote from the sporophore 

 and new cell, and each succeeding one can do the same ; a row 

 of cells is thus formed in which the members are successively 

 younger as the apex is approached." Now this is almost exactly 

 what is seen of one of these tufts under the -J-inch power. The end 

 or joint of one of the hyphte produces a number of sterigmata 

 (neck cells) from the same point, and each of these produce in 

 the manner just described, thus forming a number of rows of 

 cells radiating from the same point. The cells are so exceedingly 

 minute that their construction could not be determined even 

 under this high power. 



On cutting the cocoon in two the remains of the insect were 

 seen filling about one-third of the cocoon, whilst from it grew a 

 quantity of the white anastomising hyphse; the greater number of 

 these had passed through the part of the cocoon nearest to the 

 charred wood, whilst a few had grown upward to the part furthest 

 from the wood. On emerging through the skin of the cocoon 

 the hyph« matted together into solid stems (as before described), 

 finally bulging into the clavate or club-shaped bodies, a section 

 of which we have been studying. The stem of the fungus being 

 sectioned and submitted to the microscope showed no trace of 

 gonidiaphores, but was found to be entirely composed of hyphse, 

 anastomising and interlacing so closely as to form a solid stem. 



Mr. C. French, F.L.S., judges that the cocoon is that of the 

 moth Darala ocellata. which is common around Melbourne. 



