98 
Mycologia 
first a universal veil like that of several evolvate agarics (Agaricus, 
Annillaria, and Stropharia) . There is an ill-diflferentiated partial 
veil. The origin of the hymenophore agrees precisely with that 
of all recently reported agarics, except Hypholoma (Allen 1906) 
and Copriniis (Levine 1914). The marginal growth of the gill 
system is also familiar in the mushrooms. The columella comes 
into being exactly as does the stipe of mushrooms. Indeed, we 
might well speak of stipe and pileus of Secotium, rather than of 
peridium and columella. The basidia and spores have the shape, 
size, and arrangement found in agarics. The copious branching 
of the gills exceeds anything seen in agarics. The failure of the cap 
and gills to expand, the drying up of the trama into a friable mass 
of tissues and spores, the olive-brown color of the spores, and the 
freedom of the spores to “ pufif ” when the exposed mass is 
touched, are all lycoperdinean characters. 
Histology and Cytology. — The cell structures of Secotium pre- 
sent nothing novel. In the sections showing the earliest fundament 
of the hymenophore, there are in the ring of active growth a few 
hyphae which are twice as stout as the others ; they stain of an 
even dark color with haematoxylin, without granules of any kind. 
In the 9 mm. specimen, many hyphae in the stipe, columella, pileus, 
and trama stain deep-red with safranin. They are of the usual 
diameter and show no granules. As the stem of this specimen is 
bored by insect larvae (fig. 6), these may be dead hyphae. They 
are absent from the region of active growth at the margin of the 
pileus. 
The cells of the mycelium vary from 2 to 10 times as long as 
wide. The end walls usually show the little central mass of 
stainable material associated by Strasburger with the pores in the 
partition (fig. i, 5). In several instances, the cells of the tramal 
hyphae had two distinct nuclei. Metachromatic bodies are nu- 
merous, especially in the hymenium and regions of active growth. 
Many paler bodies were seen along the walls of some cells. 
The rhizomorph connected with the base of the carpophore in 
my 3.8 mm. specimen is composed of three kinds of hyphae. (i) 
Most hyphae are very slender (3.5 microns), homogeneous or 
slightly granular. They form the fundamental tissue of the 
entire structure (fig. i, ii). (2) Among these are groups or 
