the A sco carp in Ascophanus carneus , Pers. 407 
Great difficulty, however, was encountered when an attempt was made to 
make out whether fusions took place in all of the ascogonial cells. It was 
found, for example, that fusions might be taking place fairly freely in one or 
two adjacent cells of the ascogonium, and no signs of fusions in the neighbour- 
ing cells. This point could not, therefore, be determined by working at 
any one ascogonium. It may seem that this difficulty might be got rid 
of by comparing cells in which fusions were taking place in one ascogonium 
with those of another ascogonium with fusions, and so obtain a complete 
series: but the number of cells in different ascogonia, as has already been 
mentioned, differs greatly, so that no one cell of an ascogonium can be com- 
pared directly with any one cell of another, except in those cases where the 
number of cells is equal. Again, the ascogonia are usually so curled that in 
sections it is generally very difficult to determine the exact relative position 
of individual cells. The observations given below point to the probability 
of fusions taking place in every ascogonial cell or, rather, compartment. 
In several ascogonia fusion stages were observed in two cells and, 
in many others, in three. In one ascogonium as many as five cells were 
observed containing nuclei in different stages of fusion. Also, although, as 
mentioned above, it is often difficult to determine the exact relative positions 
of ascogonial cells, there is no doubt that fusions can take place in all 
portions of the ascogonium, for such processes have been observed in apical, 
median, and basal parts. 
Miss Welsford (27) in her Ascobolus paper reports fusions only in 
the middle central cell. It seems to me possible that at least some of 
the nuclei may fuse before they collect in this large structure, but this 
possibility does not seem to have been considered. 
The observations given above were made on ascogonia, the cells of 
which were in open continuity by means of the secondary pores, and the 
mere fact that these fusions are able to take place in each of the partly- 
partitioned-off cells is no guarantee that the fusing nuclei are nuclei belonging 
to the cell in which they were observed fusing. 
Relationship of the Fusing Nuclei. 
As has been already mentioned, there is no antheridium or male organ 
in this form, and so there is no possibility of nuclei coming into the ascogo- 
nium from such a source ; still it is possible that some of the vegetative cells 
surrounding the ascogonium may fuse with its cells, and pass over nuclei. 
No signs of such a process were seen. The ascogonial side-walls were 
intact in all stages up to the dissolution of the ascogonium. There is also 
a possibility that nuclei may migrate into the ascogonium from the basal or 
tip-portions, or both, of the archicarp through the pores in the transverse 
walls before they are closed by the pads. Such a process would be very 
difficult to observe, and might easily take place without the cells showing 
F f 
