Researches on Coprophilous Fungi. II 1 . 
BY 
GEORGE MASSEE, F.L.S., 
Herbarium , Royal Botanic Gardens , Hew, 
AND 
ERNEST S. SALMON, F.L.S. 
With Plates IV and V. 
I N our previous paper (1) allusion was made to the generally 
accepted opinion that the spores of many coprophilous 
Fungi are capable of germination only after having passed 
through the alimentary canal of an animal. So far as we are 
aware, no direct evidence on this point has been recorded, 
save that given by Janczewski (2). 
This author, having failed to germinate spores of Ascobolus 
furfuraceus in nutrient solutions, fed a rabbit with bread con- 
taining spores of this species, and observed that they had 
commenced germination when the dung was deposited. In 
order to investigate this point further, we have carried out 
the following experiments. A portion of the intestine of 
a recently killed rabbit containing dung was tied up at the 
two ends before being removed from the body. The tied-up 
portion of the intestine was then removed and placed in 
a sterilized vessel covered by a bell -jar, the dung being 
exposed by cutting the skin of the intestine. At the expira- 
tion of six days, during which period the bell -jar had not 
1 Read before the Linnean Society, June 20, 1901. 
[Annals of Botany, Vol. XVI. No. LXI. March, 1902.] 
