the Ascocarp in Ascophanus carneus, Pers. 415 
genus Ascophanus agrees very well with the characters of the Ascobolaceae 
(except in the ascogonium of A. ochraceus mentioned above), and as 
the ascogonium of Ascophanus carneus agrees very well with those of 
Ascobolus and Lasiobolus , it would seem desirable to retain the genus in 
the Ascobolaceae. 
In concluding I wish to express my thanks to Prof. V. H. Blackman 
for the valuable help and advice he has given me throughout the progress 
of this investigation. 
Summary. 
I. The vegetative mycelium of Ascophanus carneus is composed of 
multinucleate cells. There is a pore in the middle of the transverse wall of 
each cell, and on either side of this pore a number of granules are situated. 
II. The fruit is formed by one ascogonium, but the ascogonia often 
arise very close together, and in such cases the fruit-coverings of two adja- 
cent ascogonia become common (cp. Aspergilhis ). In such cases each 
ascogonium still forms a separate hymenium. 
III. The archicarp of Ascophanus carneus is of the type which 
Woronin described as a ‘scolecite ’. It is composed of a varying number of 
cells. It may be very simply curved but usually is curled round and round 
in a very complicated manner. There is no male organ. 
IV. The cells of the archicarp are at first very similar, but they soon 
differentiate into three regions more or less marked off from each other. 
The middle portion behaves as an ascogonium, and the two side portions 
remain vegetative. The number of cells which go to make up these different 
portions varies greatly. The apical portion of the archicarp may possibly 
represent a trichogyne. 
V. Each of the ascogonial cells is provided with a small pore in the 
middle of the transverse wall. This pore is guarded by small granules 
which early fuse together to form a pad closing the pore. After a time this 
pad disappears, and then a large secondary pore, as wide as the diameter 
of the pad, is found in the transverse wall. The ascogonial cells seem to 
be multinucleate at their formation. 
VI. Nuclear fusions seem to take place in all of the ascogonial cells, 
and have been noted even in cells still cut off from their neighbours by the 
pads mentioned above. No nuclear migration into the ascogonium was 
noticed, either from the surrounding vegetative cells or from the other 
portions of the archicarp. 
VII. All the ascogonial cells seem to have the power of giving off asco- 
genous hyphae, but it is not certain whether they always do so. Each 
ascogonial cell is regarded as female, and the nuclear fusions noticed within 
these are regarded as a reduced type of fertilization in which the female 
nuclei fuse in pairs. 
