THE STORY OF THE FUNGI 127 



species, and the description can only be applied 

 in a general way. If an example of the com- 

 mon mushroom be gathered and, after the 

 removal of the stem, is placed gills downwards 

 on a piece of white paper, a very curious hap- 

 pening is to be observed a few hours later. It 

 will be found that the paper is thickly covered 

 with fine brown dust, beautifully arranged in 

 radiating lines. This has fallen from the sides 

 of the gills (where it has been produced) and 

 under a magnifying glass it is resolved into 

 atoms which have been called spores. The 

 very lightness of these ensures for them a wide 

 dispersal, seeing that they will float away on 

 the most gentle of breezes. Sooner or later the 

 spore will find a settlement, and the first stage 

 in germination consists in the sending out of an 

 infinitely small tube. This is at first extremely 

 simple, but with age it becomes increasingly 

 complicated, branching out in all directions. 

 The branches are spoken of as hyphce, and 

 the whole mass forms the mycelium, or spawn, 

 of the particular kind of fungus. In appear- 

 ance this mycelium is generally white, as 

 we can see in a mushroom bed where the 

 spawn has started to " run," as the gardener 



