186 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
Conidia .— Cornelia were found only upon the young fructifications, 
where they appear about the growing margin of the very young pileus, 
and upon the spreading hyphae of the young hymenial plates (pi. 25, 
fig. 134). The conidiophores arising from the trama are long attenu¬ 
ated hairs, 1-1.5 p in diameter, and bear terminally single spores. 
The conidia are hyaline or slightly brownish, about 3-4 p in diameter 
with very slightly thickened walls, and usually bent more or less in a 
helicoid fashion and divided into from two to several cells (pi. 22, 
fig. 116-123). Upon the margin of the pileus the conidiophores are 
shorter and less attenuated, and the conidia are usually shorter and 
broader, frequently being reduced to a single globose or kidney-shaped 
cell (pi. 22, fig. 124). In drop cultures the conidia germinate and 
grow into normal mycelia, each cell being able to put forth a germ 
tube (pi. 22, fig. 125). 
The production of conidia is restricted to a very limited period in 
the growth of the fungus. They first appear upon the margin of the 
young pileus as it begins to develop by the expansion of the end of 
the stipe. The most copious production is upon the hymenial plates 
as they are arising from the hymenophore. No conidia have been seen 
upon the older fructifications where the pileus is fairly well devel¬ 
oped and there is a copious formation of basidiospores. 
Abnormalities .— The writer has cultivated the fungus under vari¬ 
ous conditions and on many media, and although he obtained numerous 
variations and abnormalities, these did not affect the nature of the 
hymenial layer. Indeed, this appears to be more stable than either 
pileus or stipe, as is shown by the character of the variations. The 
stipe varies greatly in length, and is sometimes entirely absent; or, 
it may branch and bear more than one pileus. Occasionally much 
branched Clavaria-like growths appear, the separate arms of which 
may or may not produce pilei. In wood cultures to which a consider¬ 
able amount of beef peptone or other nutrient has been added, the 
growth of the hymenial stratum is increased so that the margin of the 
pileus frequently becomes upturned instead of inrolled (pi. 23, fig. 127; 
pi. 25, fig. 135); occasionally this excessive development of the fertile 
region results in the complete abortion of the pileus, and the formation 
of a spherical head which is entirely covered by a thick stratum of the 
characteristic spore chambers (pi. 25, fig. 136). In agar tubes, but 
few normal fructifications are produced; the abnormalities commonly 
take the form of sessile, convoluted, cavernous growths with an 
