228 Mr Le Goc, Observations on Hirneola auricula-judae, ete. 
interesting structures. The production of a fruit body within 
a liquid is at least unusual in the case of fungi. 
(b) Cultures on wood. Pure cultures of the fungus have been — 
established on blocks of Elder, Lime and Elm wood, about 5 cm. in 
length and from 1 cm. to 4.cm. in diameter. These blocks of wood 
are enclosed in tubes or flasks containing a certain amount of 
water, and sterilized in the usual manner. Inoculation of the 
blocks of wood has been effected by transferrmg to them the 
spores of the fungus by means of a sterilized platinum needle. 
With few exceptions germination has always occurred. After 
about 20 days a white woolly growth appears on the spots infected — 
and spreads all round forming a thick envelope. These woolly 
hyphae show at present signs of active growth, indicated by large 
drops of liquid which are oozed out as in the well-known example 
of Pilobolus. Also large, stout, irregular hyphae are being formed 
as in the case of the culture on gelatine. In some of the cultures 
on wood blocks fructifications have begun to appear, more especially 
on blocks exposed to a fair amount of light. The formation of 
fruit bodies on artificial cultures of one of the higher fungi is as 
interesting as it is rare. 
The penetration of the hyphae inside the wood has been tested 
at intervals. It is very rapid, and after three months the hyphae 
have run all through the tissues. The path followed is along the 
vessels and tracheids, with penetration through the pits and more 
frequent branching in the medullary rays. For some time the — 
fungus seems to be satisfied with the food found inside the cells, 
but from examination of material found in nature, it is evident 
that when hunger presses hard on the fungus, it encroaches on the 
cell walls: the xylem is then delignified, the hyphae bore their 
way locally through the walls which are gradually consumed and 
the ultimate resuit is that the whole tissue becomes spongy, 
crumbles when rubbed with the finger, and consists more of the 
hyphae than of the original tissue of the tree. 
Inoculations of healthy Elder bushes with the fungus. 
Inoculations of mycelia and spores have also been tried on ~ 
living branches of Elder bushes. The spores have germinated, and 
the mycelia have penetrated the wood in the manner just described, 
but the process of penetration is slower than on dead wood and no 
further details are at present available. 
I wish, as a pleasant duty, to express my hearty thanks to 
Mr F. T. Brooks for his kind guidance as well as for his repeated 
suggestions during these investigations. 
