78 
CYSTIDIA IN THE MUSHROOM TRIBE. 
a somewhat larger size, 
called basidia, b; these 
carry the spores, as at c. 
The basidia always carry 
four spores, on the 
minute spikes here 
shown, but one spore 
only is shown in position 
for convenience ; and 
lastly, other bodies of an 
immensely larger size oc- 
cur, as at d — these latter 
comparatively gigantic 
flasks are extremely abun- 
dant ; in some species of 
Coprinus they are so 
large that they can be 
seen without a lens, and 
they are so heavy that 
they drop out of the fun- 
gus in large numbers and 
rest on the ground with 
the fallen spores. At first 
these bodies are filled 
with fluid, but as the fun- 
gus becomes ripethefluid 
becomes differentiated 
and takes a fine granular 
form ; at this period the 
cystidium opens at the 
top, either by an orifice 
or sometimes by a little 
operculum or trap-door, 
which flies off, and the 
minute mobile granules 
pour out. Cystidia are 
distinctly hyaline and 
glutinous bodies, the 
spores always stick to 
them. Now in such de- 
liquescent fungi as Cop- 
rinus the cells of the plant 
speedily perish, with the 
exception of the basidia, 
with the spores and the 
cystidia ; the cystidia re- 
main uninjured as long 
as the spores, and this 
fact alone suggests to my 
mind that they should be 
considered of equal im- 
portance with the spores. 
