556 
Fraser , — The Development of the 
assumes the characteristically discomycetous form. The development of 
the inner layers of the sheath— the nutritive layers of the Aspergilliaceae — 
on one side of the fruit as paraphyses, and the regular unilateral growth 
of the ascogenous hyphae, are the salient points of difference between 
the ascocarp of the Discomycetes and that of the more primitive Asper- 
gilliaceae. 
At the base of the group of paraphyses the ascogenous hyphae give 
rise to asci in the usual way— by the bending over of the hypha and the 
growth of its penultimate cell (Fig. 14). The first division in the ascus is 
fairly clear and shows about eight chromosomes (Figs. 16, 17), but the small 
size of the later divisions makes critical work unsatisfactory, for it seems 
useless to study in a minute form processes which have been already 
observed on a larger scale. The spores are eight in number; they are 
uniseriate, elliptical, and unicellular. 
From the outer cells of the sheath the thick-walled septate hairs 
characteristic of the genus Lachnea arise. The base of the hair is bulbous 
(Fig. i) ; but it was not observed to fork. 
Discussion. 
In the genus Lachnea two other species have been investigated. In 
Lachnea stercorea (Fraser, ’07) the archicarp shows a multicellular stalk 
and a multicellular trichogyne. The ascogonial region consists of a single 
large, more or less spherical cell, from which alone the ascogenous hyphae 
arise. The trichogyne is much shorter than in Lachnea ere tea and consists 
of shorter cells ; it was not seen to protrude far beyond the sheath, and in 
some cases its terminal cell fused with a large oblong antheridium. The 
male nuclei were observed to enter the terminal cell of the trichogyne, but 
did not travel further. In contrast to that of Lachnea cretea , the trichogyne 
of Lachnea stercorea retains its contents, and the transverse septa undergo 
no recognizable modification. 
In Lachnea scutellata (Brown, Tl) there is a single ascogonial cell or 
ascogonium borne on a multicellular stalk. Brown describes only one cell 
beyond the ascogonium, but since, in his youngest specimens, the archicarp 
was already covered by the sheath and was examined in section, it remains 
possible that a longer terminal region is really present. 
As far, then, as our present knowledge goes, there are among the 
species grouped together in the genus Lachnea three distinct types 01 
female organ, and Lachnea cretea differs from both the others in possessing 
several ascogonial cells. 
In this particular it differs also, among neighbouring forms, from 
Ascodesmis (Boudiera) nigricans (Claussen, ’05), Pyronema confine ns 
(Harper, *00 ; Claussen, *12), and Humaria granulata (Blackman and 
Fraser, ’06), and it approximates several members of the Ascobolaceae, 
