Hirneola auricula-judae, Berk. (“Jew’s ear”). 227 
conditions germination has not been observed in distilled water, but 
in Elder-wood decoction it occurs occasionally. However, if a drop 
of the decoction is laid at the bottom of the same cell instead of 
being suspended from the cover glass, germination occurs regularly. 
The probable explanation of this anomaly is that the spores, being 
heavier than the liquid, fall to the bottom; thus in the case of 
the hanging drops the spores are only partially immersed, and 
osmosis is not carried out in the proper manner. In tubes or 
watch glasses the spores germinate very readily 1a Elder-wood 
decoction and occasionally in distilled water. 
The hyphae grow rapidly, reach a considerable length, branch 
freely, and when the food and aeration have become deficient, they 
undergo disintegration ending in the formation of abundant drops 
of glycogen. 
Here I must note some divergences with Brefeld’s results. In 
the first place, Brefeld found that eight days immersion or more 
were required for the germination of spores*, while my observations 
show that two or three days are sufficient ; after this interval large 
drops of glycogen develop in any ungerminated spores which at 
a later stage become ruptured and emit their contents. Secondly, 
Brefeld describes as of regular occurrence the formation of conidia 
on the germ tubes of the spores+. Such bodies have never been 
observed during the whole series of my experiments. 
Pure cultures of the fungus. 
(a) Cultures in decoctions of Elder-wood +agar or gelatine. 
The Elder-wood decoction has been solidified with 2°/, agar or 
10°/, gelatine, after previous sterilization by the usual methods. 
In the case of agar cultures the spores germinate quite easily 
and after some 15 days patches of mycelia become visible ; these 
mycelia grow with some difficulty and not always with equal 
success. In my cultures they are still developing without any 
apparent attempt to produce fructifications. 
The gelatine cultures are more interesting, showing an almost 
luxuriant growth. At first a woolly mass of mycelium appears on 
the surface: but the gelatine is soon liquefied and the fungus 
sinks into the medium, assuming a definite form and developing 
into bodies which imitate in shape and structure the fructifications 
of the Jew’s ear fungus. At this stage a number of hyphae become 
very stout, irregular in form and branch freely in all directions, 
It has not yet been possible to determine the ultimate fate of these 
* Brefeld, loc. cit. p. 72. 
+ Brefeld, loc. cit. pp. 73—76. 
