33 
of the Gemis Doassansia, Cornu . 
cling to the top of the promycelium, and this breaks away 
from the emptied portion of the promycelium, forming a 
basidial cell as in D. alismatis (Figs. 56 to 58). When the 
basidial cell germinates, as it often does, the germ-tube has 
the same characters as that produced from a sporidium. 
The spores when set free in water, from dried materia], 
produce promycelia and crowns of sporidia in less than twenty- 
four hours. Germinations were obtained in the latter part of 
October, 1889, and in May and July, 1890. Sowings made 
in August and September, 1889, and in March, ] 890, were 
unsuccessful, although the material for the sowing was taken 
from the same distortion from which the materials for the 
successful sowings were taken. There cannot be said to be 
any particular time for the germination of this species. The 
spores seemed to be very capricious about germinating. 
Different lots of sori would germinate for a week readily, 
then for several weeks none would germinate. This may 
have been due to different degrees of ripeness in the sori 
but as they all came “from the same swelling it does not seem 
probable. 
At first view D. deformans seems to be a very distinct 
species, but when the structure of the sorus is compared with 
the structure of the sorus of D. occidta , it comes very near 
to that species. It suggests that the difference in habit is 
due to the difference in the host-plants. But the difference 
in the modes of germinating is striking ; and this, if constant, 
is sufficient reason for keeping them apart. There was no 
variation in my sowings, and the two species were sown 
on slides at the same time and kept side by side, exposed 
as far as possible to the same conditions. There are no 
satisfactory differences in the structure of the sori of the 
species of this group, but they are to be distinguished from 
one another by the habit, host, and method of germination. 
Season. The first specimens are found in the last days 
of July and it is in its prime at about the middle of August. 
Distribution. D. deformans was first discovered growing 
D 
