330 DIVISION II.—COURSE OF DEVELOPMENT OF FUNGI. 
ever been found. Every piece of the mycelium, in Coprinus every bit even of 
a mutilated sporophore, may under conditions favourable to growth form the hyphal 
branches which become a sporophore. The filiform mycelia, the sclerotia which may 
be produced on them, and the strands of Agaricus melleus (see page 23) behave 
alike in these respects. 
In the rest of the Coprini which have been examined and in Typhula also the 
mode of development is the same as in the above species, but a complication occurs 
in them more or less frequently, which will be considered presently. 
In Crucibulum again and Cyathus the course of events is entirely the same 
as that in the Hymenomycetes above mentioned. In the proper nutrient solutions, 
especially decoctions of dung, and a not too low temperature (15°-18° C., according to 
Eidam 25° c.), the basidiospores put out germ-tubes, which under favourable conditions 
develope directly into a mycelium, and its branches form the coils of primordial 
hyphae which develope into peridia without the interposition of any intermediate 
mem bers. 
The history of Sphaerobolus is very peculiar according to E. Fischer’s account 
of that plant. It was stated on page 328 that the sporangium or peridium when 
flung off has the basidiospores mixed with the mucilage-cells and the gemmae. 
These are all so firmly held together by the tenacious mucilage, that it is very 
difficult to isolate them, and a spontaneous separation of the several elements has 
never been observed, and from what we know is scarcely conceivable. If a sporan- 
gium is flung to a spot where there is no moisture it dries up into a firm hard body, 
which retains its vitality for months and swells when moistened, and then exhibits the 
same phenomena of germination as a recently ejected specimen. But if a sporangium 
falls at once on a moist substance, it puts out numerous germ-tubes from its entire 
surface, so that it may be densely covered in a day or two with white hyphae 
radiating in every direction. On a substratum which supplies sufficient nourishment 
these develope without interruption into a’ mycelium which produces new peridia in 
a few weeks or months without the aid of any other organs of reproduction. 
It may be said therefore that the whole sporangium thus remaining in connection 
produces by germination the commencement of a mycelium of many hyphae, and 
that hardly any other mode of germination could occur in the natural course of 
development, though it is easy to show that portions of the sporangium artificially 
separated and even individual cells, if naturally capable of germination, may be made 
to germinate when isolated in water or a nutrient solution. 
A closer examination of the incidents in the entire sporangium disclose§ however 
the curious fact, that the germ-tubes which spring from the surface and develope into 
a mycelium proceed, as far as can be observed, from the gemmae and x0/ from the 
basidiospores. As the germination of the whole body proceeds the basidiospores 
lose their protoplasm and their membranes become more delicate and paler, and are 
pierced with holes in places, and they themselves at length entirely disappear; the 
products of their disorganisation are evidently employed with the mucilage which 
envelopes them as food for the germ-tubes. Isolated gemmae germinate quickly 
and readily in water, and normal mycelium is obtained from their germ-tubes, if proper 
nutriment is supplied. Isolated basidiospores rarely produced germ-tubes in Fischer’s 
experiments ; as a rule they did not germinate; and in the normal germination of 
