26 FUNGI. 
the basidia of the Tremellini were monosporous, whilst M. 
Tulasne has demonstrated that they are habitually tetrasporous, 
as in other of the Hymenomycetes. Although agreeing in this, 
they differ in other features, especially in the globoso form of 
the basidia, mode of production of the spicules, and, finally, the 
division of the basidia into two, three, or four cells by septa 
which cut each other in their axis. This division precedes the 
erowth of the spicules. It is not rare to sce these cells, formed 
at the expense of an unilocular basidium, become partly isolated 
from each other; in certain cascs they seem to have separated. 
very early, they then become larger than usual, and are grouped 
on the same filament so as to represent a kind of buds. This 
phenomenon usually takes place below the level of the fertile 
cells, at a certain depth in the mucous tissue of the Tremella. 
Besides the reproductive system here described, Tulasne also 
made known the existence of a scries of filaments which produce 
spermatia. These filaments are often scattered and confused 
with those which produce the basidia, and not distinguishable 
from them in size or any other apparent characteristic, except 
the manner in which their extremities are branched in ordcr to 
produce the spermatia. At other times the spermatia-bearing. 
surface covers exclusively certain portions of the fungus, espe- 
cially the inferior lobes, imparting thereto a very bright orange 
colour, which is communicated by the layer of spermatia, 
unmixed with spores. These spots retain their bright colour, 
while the remainder of the plant becomes pale, or covered with 
a white dust. The spermatia are very small, spherical, and 
smooth, scarcely equalling ‘002 mm. They are sessile, some- 
times solitary, sometimes three or four together, on the 
slightly swollen extremities of certain filaments of the weft of 
the fungus.* Tulasne found it impossible to make these cor- 
puscles germinate, and in all essential particulars they agrecd 
with the sperinatia found in ascomycetous fungi. 
In the genus Dacrymyces, the same observer found the structure 
* Tulasne, in ‘‘ Ann. des Sci. Nat.” (loc. cit.) xix. pl. x. fig. 29. Tulasne, 
‘New Notes upon Tremellinous I ungi,” in ‘‘ Journ, Linn, Soc.” vol. xiii. (1871), 
p. 31. 
