Hick : The Sexual Reproduction of Fungi. 101 



is a discoid body, the base of which is pseudo-parenchymatous, and 

 whose upper surface bears a number of clavate " asci," containing spores. 

 Intermingled with the "asci" are numerous delicate filaments named 

 " paraphyses/' whose free tips are usually slightly swollen and contain a 

 little colouring matter. The origin and homologies of these structures 

 were never set in their true light until the course of their development 

 had been carefully followed, and they were shown to be the result of 

 of sexual impregnation. This was first accomplished in 1863 by the 

 indefatigable De Bary (with whom was subsequently associated 

 Tulasne), who worked upon Peziza confiue/is, and showed that its 

 "apothecia" arose from an act of sexual union. In 1871 Janczewski 

 wrought out the development of the receptacle in A-scoIjoIus furfu- 

 raceuSj which is diagramatically shown in Fig. 4, and may be briefly 

 described as follows : — 



The germinating spore gives rise to a delicate mycelium, portions 

 of which become differentiated into the Carpogonium and the Anthe- 

 ridium. The former consists of a row of wider but shorter cells, and 

 is strongly curved ; the latter consists of a branched thread, differing 

 but little from the hyphee of the mycelium. The Antheridium attaches 

 itself to the anterior portion of the Carpogonium, around which it 

 becomes tightly twisted. In consequence of fertilization, one of the 

 middle cells of the Carpogonium grows larger than the rest, becomes 

 somewhat rounded, and by sprouting produces numerous threads, from 

 which, later on, are developed the asci. Meanwhile there has arisen 

 from the hyphae bearing the sexual organs a mass of pseudo-parenchyma 

 which envelopes the whole Carpogonium, and forms the sterile part 

 of the fruit. The ascogenous threads springing from the Carpogo- 

 nium thus lie together within the fruit-body or sporocarp, in a sub- 

 hymenial layer, and send outwards thick club-shaped branches — the 

 asci — within which the spores arise by free cell-formation. The 

 sterile hyph^ also produce numerous parallel branches, the para- 

 physes, which grow up between the asci, with which they form the 

 hymenium. Finally, the psuedo -parenchymatous sheath opens at the 

 . summit, the hymenium comes to lie on the surface, and expands itself 

 as armature receptacle (Fig. 4). 



Only one other family of the order [Ascomycetes remains to be 

 noticed, but that an important one, and one which has lately occupied 

 a considerable share of attention. I refer to the Liehens. In treating 

 them as Fungi, and thus bringing them within the scope of this paper, 

 I am at once following in the wake of very high authorities, and 

 giving effect to my own personal convictions. Much has been said 



