524 L ew ton- Brain. — Cordyceps ophioglossoides {Ehrh.). 
appear in the protoplasm of the ascus (Fig. 9), dividing this 
up into eight filiform ascospores ; these are thus multinucleate 
from the beginning. The ascospores soon become rounded 
off and acquire a wall, not, however, till further divisions 
have occurred. In sections transverse to the ascus, seven outer 
ones are seen surrounding a single inner spore (Fig. 14 a). 
Immediately following, indeed almost contemporaneous 
with, the longitudinal divisions, transverse lines appear, divid- 
ing each ascospore into a large number of cylindrical, uni- 
nucleate sporidia (Fig. 10). Stages such as that shown in 
Fig. 9 are very rare. The divisions seem to occur simul- 
taneously throughout the ascus. 
The sporidia, once formed, become separated, and each ac- 
quires a wall ; they still, however, remain eight-ranked (Figs. 
11, 14$). The ascus becomes considerably broader and rather 
longer during this process (compare Figs. 14 <2 and c), and its 
wall becomes very fine and almost invisible. The sporidia 
become rounded at the ends ; when ripe they are cylindrical- 
ellipsoidal in shape, about 4 // long by about 2 {jl broad. 
During the ripening the protoplasm becomes clear and free 
from granules, and stains much less darkly ; the nuclei become 
somewhat larger, the contrast between young and ripe asd 
is thus very marked. During this time also the walls of the 
sporidia become changed chemically, and are probably ren- 
dered harder. They now resemble the caps of the asci : this 
was very clearly shown in sections of material fixed in Kieser, 
which were stained with Hermann’s safranin-gentian violet ; 
the walls of the ripe sporidia and the caps of the asci were 
coloured dark violet, while the walls of the younger asci and 
spores were pink (the nuclei and protoplasm were not stained). 
Fig. 13 shows part of an ascus with ripe sporidia: these are 
probably contorted in fixing. 
Anatomy of Sterile Part of Stroma. 
The sterile part of the stroma shows nothing of special 
interest. The central mass consists of closely interwoven, 
septate, narrow hyphae, with thin walls, running quite irregu- 
