Observations on Hirneola Auricula-judse Berk. 129 
The cultures on gelatine are more interesting and show an 
almost luxuriant growth. At first a woolly layer of mycelium 
appears on the surface but the gelatine is soon liquified, and the 
fungus sinks into the medium, assuming a definite form and develop¬ 
ing into bodies which imitate in shape the fructifications of the 
Jew’s Ear fungus. Those bodies form gelatinous, compact masses, 
built of fine thin threads mixed with not a few stout irregular 
hyphae, which branch freely in all directions (Fig. 5). No definite 
hymenium has been observed and these structures are not likely to 
develop further. Still the production of a rudimentary fruit-body 
Fig. 6. Woolly texture of fungus Fig. 7. Rudimentary fruit body pro- 
enveloping a block of Elder wood in ducedon block of Elder wood in arti- 
artificial culture. Nat. size. ficial culture. Nat. size. 
(b) Cultures on wood. Pure cultures of the fungus have been 
established on blocks of Elder, Lime and Elm wood about 5 cm. in 
length and from I to 4 cm. in diameter. These blocks of wood 
were enclosed in tubes or flasks containing a certain amount of 
water and sterilized in the usual manner. Inoculation of the blocks 
of wood has been effected by transferring to them spores deposited 
on sterilized glass slides or mycelia derived from pure cultures. 
With few exceptions the inoculations have been successful After 
three weeks a white woolly outgrowth appears on the spots 
infected and spreads quickly all round the blocks, forming a thick 
envelope (Fig. 6). This white woolly envelope shows at times 
signs of active growth indicated by large drops either of a clear or 
brownish liquid which is oozed out as in the well-known example of 
Pilobolus. 
At this stage large, stout, irregular hyphas are found in 
abundance, and of the type described in the cultures on gelatine 
(Fig. 5). This active growth preceeds the formation of fruit bodies. 
