248 ESSENTIALS OF BOTANY 
After from three to six hours examine a drop from the surface of 
the liquid with m.p. After about twenty-four hours examine another 
Fie. 178. Formation of Zygospores 
in a Mold (Mucor Mucedo). 
1, threads in contact “previous to conjuga- 
tion ; 2, cutting off of the conjugating 
cells @ from the threads 0; 3, a later 
stage of the process; 4, ripe zygospore ; 
5, germination of a zygospore and 
formation of aspore-case. (1-4 magni- 
fied 225 diameters; 5, magnified about 
60 diameters.) 
portion of the mold from the . 
surface of the liquid. Note: 
(c) The beginning of for- 
mation of hyphz and their con- 
tinued development. Draw. 
In a prepared slide study 
the conjugation of mold hy- 
phe and the formation of 
zygospores (Fig. 173). 
321. Discussion. — The 
bread-mold is a typical 
saprophytic fungus. In 
its structure, consisting 
of a much-branched and 
extremely large continu- 
ous protoplast with many 
nuclei, it considerably 
resembles Vaucheria. Its 
reproduction is of two 
kinds, — asexual, by the 
formation of spores within 
a spore-case, and sexual, 
by the conjugation of 
similar-appearing threads 
(gametes) forming zygo- 
spores. These (Fig. 1738) 
are not as frequently pro- 
duced by the bread-mold 
as by some other closely related genera. 
The formation of the asexual spores in spore-cases is 
similar to the mode already mentioned in yeast fungi 
