250 The Fungus Foot of India. 



they are not in all probability the only form, for on three occa- 

 sions the black fungous masses, either in maceration in •water, 

 preserved in alcohol, or scattered purposely on rice paste, to see 

 if any further development would take place, gave rise to a 

 peculiar mould, which it can scarcely be doubted is the perfect 

 condition of the species, though at present it has not been 

 observed in any other situation; a circumstance, however, 

 which need excite no surprise, as so little attention has hitherto 

 been paid to the minute fungi of India. Further observations 

 will, I doubt not, demonstrate immediate connection with the 

 disease. Of this fungus I am enabled meanwhile to give a 

 sketch from Dr. H. J. Carter's original drawing, and its beauty 

 and singularity are both sufficient excuse for its reproduction 

 in this place. The change from the early yellow or colourless 

 transparent threads and sporangia to a fine red or crimson, 

 make it a most lovely object for the microscope. 



The fungus made its appearance only in the months of April 

 and May. I have great hopes next spring that I shall be able 

 to cultivate the species myself from specimens placed in my 

 hands, as so many moulds are grown with the utmost facility 

 on rice paste, which affords an admirable opportunity of exa- 

 mining them in every stage of growth, proper caution being 

 taken not to confound different species with each other, as 

 several will sometimes appear together, or in succession on the 

 same mass of paste. 



The fungus resembles closely the genus Mucor, but there is 

 no columella in the sporangium — a character which accords 

 with Chionyphe rather than with Mucor. Indeed I do not see 

 a single character in which it differs genetically from Chionyphe, 

 though the two recorded species occur only under snow. It is 

 very possible, however, that the proper habitat of our fungus 

 may be upon damp soil. It consists of a thin filamentous stra- 

 tum spreading in every direction over the paste, so as to form 

 little slightly raised patches (fig. d, p. 256). The threads which 

 are about 1-5400 of an inch in diameter, are more or less 

 branched, and contain masses of grumous matter which give 

 them an articulated appearance. These masses pass from a 

 bright yellow into red. Short lateral branches from the my- 

 celium give rise to a globose sporangium, which at first con- 

 tains a single nucleus, but as it grows exhibits different phases 

 of cell formation, and finally gives rise to short subfusiform 

 spores, each of which contains a nucleus or oil globule at either 

 extremity. The sporangia, which attain sometimes a diameter 

 of 1-400 of an inch, like the mycelium, change from yellow 

 to red, but some apparently are colourless. The spores when 

 ejected germinate very rapidly, giving rise to fresh threads, 

 which are at first perfectly straight. Some of the threads 



