FUNGI. 139 



reproductive portion is far more highly developed than the 

 vegetative ; in fact, what is popularly considered to be the 

 entire fungus, as illustrated by a "toadstool" or "puff-ball," 

 is only the reproductive portion or sporophore, the vegetative 

 portion or mycelium, popularly known as " spawn," being 

 buried in the substance from which the fungus obtains its 

 food. 



The most important and constant feature of the fungi is 

 the absence of chlorophyll, hence fungi may be defined as 

 cellular plants devoid of chlorophyll, the other cellular 

 cryptogams not possessing chlorophyll — Schizomycetes and 

 Mycetozoa — being separated by the absence of true cells 

 forming hypha or mycelium. 



The Fungi are considered as having descended by de- 

 generation from the Algae, and for this reason are placed 

 immediately after the last-mentioned class, although in 

 reality they must be considered as a side and terminal 

 group, not connecting with any higher type of plant de- 

 velopment. The reasons for the above statement respecting 

 their origin will be explained in detail at a later stage. 



Owing to the absence of chlorophyll, fungi require organic 

 matter as food, and may from this standpoint be divided 

 into two sections : [a) saprophytes, those fungi that obtain 

 their food from dead organic matter — this section includes 

 all those growing on — and consequently deriving their food 

 from — rotten wood or decaying vegetable matter, as manure, 

 leaf-soil, etc. The common edible mushroom (Agaricus 

 campestris) and numerous other species that grow on the 

 ground, might be supposed to obtain the same food as the 

 grass and other chlorophyllose plants accompanying them ; 

 but this is not so. The fungi absorb, by means of their 

 mycelium, the soluble portion of vegetable humus furnished 



