— Ill — 



other fungi, where it луаз noted (Diatrype, Eutypa etc.), or does 

 this thread in some of them, present the last remnant of sexual 

 cells, which have ceased functioning as in the Gnomonia? All these 

 questions require more thorough study, and doubtless tlje Sphae- 

 riales being very numerous, Avil] present various interesting 

 specimens. 



All the above mentioned deficiencies in the study of the deve- 

 lopment of these fungi prove and justify that new investigation 

 in this direction is most necessary. 



Methods. 



This Avork is devoted to the study of the development of some 

 species of the Sordariaceae. This group was chosen because of the 

 following privileges. Its representatives belong to the number of the 

 most simply organized forms of Sphaeriales. Lacking stroma (with 

 the exception of the Hypocopra), they form perithecia with thin, 

 soft sheaths contrary to the greatest number of other Sphaeriales, 

 Avhich have hard carbonized sheaths. Moreover these fungi, which 

 are very simple, are comparatively easy for culture and from 

 this point of view are most convenient for investigation. Another 

 advantage consists in their being largely propagated in central 

 Russia, and their typical bottle shaped fruit bodies are easily de- 

 velope all the year round, under favorable circumstances, on horse 

 dung, so that it is not difficult to obtain necessary material for 

 investigation. 



All the forms here investigated ^): Podospora fimiseda (Ces et 

 de Not), P. curvula (de By), P. anserina (Rahb), P. coprophila 

 (Fries), P. setosa (Winter), Sordaria fimicola (Rob) and Sporormia 

 intermedia (Auersw), were gathered in Moscow on horse dung, 



1) Besides this a species of Sordaria was often found, -which was not defi- 

 nitely specified, but by its structure it stood nearest to the S. humana. And 

 once a small quantity of the Sporormia minima Avas developed. The culture of 

 both -was not successful, as the spores of the fungi obstinately refused to ger- 

 minate. This remarli corresponds more to the first form, as in Sporormia we 

 had too few spores to be able to produce the experiment on a large scale. 

 Zukal also indicates negative results in his attempt to make the spores of the 

 S.minima germinate. 



