the Ascocarp in Ascophanus carneus, Pers. 413 
ascogonial cells may be regarded either as female or vegetative. If we 
allow that the ascogonia of these two forms are comparable structures, in 
the light of what has been said above for the ascogonium of Ascophanus, it 
would seem more than probable that all the cells of the ascogonium of 
Ascobolus furfur aceus are female. The isolated case which Dangeard (10) 
mentions, in which there was a suggestion of ascogenous hyphae coming off 
from two ascogonial cells in Ascobolus glaber, seems to strengthen this view. 
Any attempts which have been made to trace out a monophyletic 
origin for the Ascomycetes have been met with two great difficulties : the 
various types of the male and also of the female organ met with in this 
group. Miss Fraser and Miss Chambers (16) in their paper on Aspergillus 
herbariorum have successfully disposed of the first problem, but the second 
still presents considerable difficulties. 
In Ascophanus carneus we find an archicarp that is comparable to that 
of Ascobolus furfur aceus, and that also presents several points of similarity 
with the archicarps of other forms. 
Like the Lichen archicarp it is divisible into three portions, a stalk, an 
ascogonial, and a tip-portion, which very probably represents a trichogyne, 
although in the absence of any trace of a male organ it is impossible to make 
sure of this. The number of cells in each of these portions of the archicarp, 
both in A. carneus and in Lichens, varies considerably; primary pores are 
also found connecting the cells, and these are broken down to form larger 
secondary pores. It is true that the pores in the ‘trichogyne’ portion 
of Ascophanus are permanently closed, but this is probably connected with 
the loss of function of this organ, while in the Lichen the secondary pores in 
this region are probably formed to allow of the passage of the male nucleus 
to the ascogonial region. In both plants a considerable number of cells 
give rise to ascogenous hyphae. The only marked point of difference lies 
in the uninucleate nature of the cells of the Lichen archicarp. Miss Fraser 
has suggested that the ascogonium of Ascobolus bridges over the gap between 
the uninucleate ascogonium and the coenogamete, but, as I have already 
shown, it cannot be regarded as proved that the ascogonium of Ascobolus 
is composed of uninucleate cells at its origin. Miss Dale (9) mentions 
that in Gymnoascus the ascogonium is uninucleate at the start and 
becomes multinucleate later, but in the case of neither of the species that 
she examined does Miss Dale give an account of the number of nuclei in 
the vegetative cells. It seems probable from the short, preliminary 
communications that Barker (1, 2) has made on Ryparobius that this 
genus may throw some light on the subject, and the appearance of his full 
account will be awaited with interest. 
Fraser and Chambers, in discussing the different types of female organ 
in the Ascomycetes, point out that although several types are known 
in which the trichogyne is multicellular, yet the only case in which it 
