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stage of a fungus that draws its nourishment from the 
living tissues of the leaves of violets. Of the fungi which 
live upon decaying refuse matter, Ascobolus is one of the 
more interesting among those selected for exhibition. In 
this, the spores, or propagating cells, are borne in groups 
of eight within transparent ellipsoidal sacs, and at maturity 
these sacs, each enclosing eight spores, are ejected with 
considerable force. Under the next microscope are shown 
sections through the gills of a common mushroom, illustrat- 
ing the manner in which its very minute and numerous 
spores are borne. 
Then follow specimens of the liverworts or scale-mosses, 
plants in which the differentiation of the vegetative body 
into stem and leaves becomes first clearly evident. One of 
these, a Frullania, has a part of each leaf peculiarly modi- 
fied so as to form a reservoir for water. By aid of this 
device, the frullanias and their allies are able to thrive in 
drier situations than are in favor with most of the order to 
which they belong. Preparations are exhibited showing 
also the vegetative structure and methods of reproduction 
of the true mosses. Especially interesting is the “‘peris- 
tome” of one of the mosses, which is a fringe of peculiar 
appendages surrounding the mouth of the little urn in 
which the minute dust-like spores are borne. These ap- 
pendages move about as a result of changing conditions of 
moisture and these mechanical movements assist in scat- 
tering the spores. A somewhat analogous device is found 
in connection with the spores of the equisetums or horse- 
tails, though the appendages in this case are attached to 
the spores. Near the slide illustrating this feature of the 
horse-tails is one showing the spores and spore-cases of the 
common polypody; the spore-case here is provided with 
a sort of spring, by the action of which the spores are 
violently ejected, catapult-fashion. Another preparation 
shows the structure of the stem of the moonwort (Botry- 
chium) as it appears in a cross section. Another illustrates 
the structure of the wood of a young pine stem in cross 
