HOW MUSHROOMS ARE REPRODUCED. 
81 
from the cystidium. With me, I find the unpierced spores to 
burst at one or both ends, fig. 2 c, exactly in accordance with 
Dr. Eidam’s figs. 1, 2. The ruptured end of the exospore 
from which the threads emerge are shown in my fig. 2 c, and are 
uncommonly well shown in Dr. Eidam’s figs. 1, 2. In Dr. 
Eidam’s plate the two orders of threads are well shown, but I 
am perfectly convinced that the second order of mycelial 
threads which bear the spermatia do not belong to the spores. 
These latter threads are shown by Dr. Eidam to a larger scale 
than the threads from the unpierced spores, and there are only 
three spores shown in connection with the spermatia-bearing 
threads. Now, although these three latter spores are shown to 
nearly double the scale of the other spores, yet in each case 
the wall is shoivn unbroken. This is simply because the walls 
belonging to these spores are correctly shown in the plate ; the 
threads do not come from the spores (which have been merely 
accidentally washed against the threads), but from the fallen 
cystidia. In this plate there are no less than sixteen spores pro- 
ducing threads without spermatia, and in every instance the 
spores are then shown as ruptured. I am quite disposed to ac- 
quiesce in the correctness of Dr. Eidam’s observations as regards 
the spermatia, but the spermatia-bearing threads are from the 
cystidia. Fig. 12 can hardly be a Carpogonium ; it disagrees 
with Dr. Eeess’ figure and description, and quite accords with 
what I have seen of the terminal condition of a cystidium-thread 
when the contents are about to become differentiated. My im- 
pression is that any Carpogonium in the Agaricini must be a 
pierced spore or an agglutination of pierced spores. These 
spores or companies of spores may rest for longer or shorter 
periods, and the cells and mycelium when at length produced 
is then analogous with a subterranean rhizome, capable of pro- 
ducing new plants from buds. 
It will be observed that the notes on both the species last re- 
ferred to, as well as my notes on Goprinus radiatus , bear upon 
dung-born species of rapid growth. As dung swarms with fungi 
and infusoria of all sorts, the greatest care is necessary in 
experiments, or Bacteria will be mistaken for Spermatia, and 
Sphserobacteria for Spermatozoids. To clear up some little of 
the confusion which might arise as to all these bodies, the infu- 
soria are engraved in fig. 2 to the same scale as the spores and 
bodies referred by me to spermatozoids ; a shows the globular 
spermatozoids as they are at first produced within the cystidium, 
or within the end of a thread more or less long, protruded from 
a cystidium : these bodies are at first motionless, but after being 
kept in liquid for a few hours they begin to slowly revolve ; this 
movement keeps on for several days, and is all the time accele- 
rated, whilst the body (formerly spherical ) now becomes slightly 
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