4 Lister . — - Notes on the Plasmodium of 
Stereum if I omitted for two or three days to supply fresh 
food, yet none changed to sporangia between May 24 and 
September 37. 
In hot weather, considerable attention is needed to keep 
the plasmodium in health, a fresh supply of Stereum must 
be frequently added, and the decayed bits cleared away. 
The new pieces are usually crawled over in the course of 
a few hours, and can be taken off and placed in a glass box 
for observation, or put under a glass shade with more Stereum 
to start a fresh colony. In the colder months no serious 
consequences follow if a pile is left alone for a week, the 
plasmodium may settle down with sluggish movement or 
pass into a resting stage ; but in the height of summer a 
promising-looking colony will often fall into foul decay in 
twenty-four hours if it is neglected. 
When plasmodium is placed in a glass box it will soon 
crawl up the sides, and it is then in a favourable condition for 
observation (see Fig. 1). The following experiments bearing 
on its manner of feeding have been conducted with these 
moist chambers. 
In the first place I submit the results of a number of 
observations with regard to the action of the plasmodium 
of Badhamia upon starch, which has been stated on the 
authority of Dr. Wortmann to have been absorbed by the 
plasmodium of Fuligo 1 . 
In arranging for these experiments, I cut slices of raw 
potato and pounded them in a mortar ; I then carefully 
washed the pulp so as to collect only the unbroken starch- 
grains, as an appearance of erosion is easily given by a slight 
bruise. Starch obtained from this source seems to be better 
for our purpose than any other, on account of the large size 
and regular form of the grains. 
If this raw starch is spread with water on the side of a 
glass box in front of an advancing wave of the plasmodium, 
it is simply incorporated without any material stimulus to 
1 See De Bary, Morphology and Biology of the Fungi, Mycetozoa and Bacteria. 
Engl. ed. p. 452. 
