290 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1894. 



In the receut gatherings, however, the sporangia show a reniarkalile 

 tendency to aggregation into clumps of from twelve to twenty, the 

 stipes growing together to form a thick compound stipe surmounted 

 by the densely clustered sporangia. In some cases these are dis- 

 torted by crowding, having their adjoining walls grown together, 

 constituting stipitate iethalia. 



The clustered sporangia have usually a purplish metallic lustre 

 rather than the silver or bronze lustre of the single forms. 



The capillitium differs from the type only in the presence of au 

 extraordinary number of snudl dark-violet colored bulbous thicken- 

 iugs occurring upon the threads in their course, similar to those found 

 in the capillitium of certain species of DUhpnimii and Ghoiidrio- 

 deriiia. These thickenings are ellipsoidal, turbinate or conical in 

 shape and occur more frequently near the ends of the threads. 



The speaker thought that these peculiar tliickenings were of 

 special interest on account of their bearing upon the relative position 

 of the genus DiacJuen in the systematic classification of the JNIyxo- 

 mycetes. As they are almost exclusively found in certain species of 

 the Didymiaceie and the single species of the genus Sjniinafla, this 

 species at least, of the genus Diaclura would seem to be connected 

 with the CalcareiL' by good structural characters other than the mere 

 existence of granules of lime in the stipes and columellas of the 

 sporangia. 



The bulbous thickenings were also found in the capillitium of the 

 type specimens but not conspicuously, or to a greater extent tlian 

 they are sometimes found in the other species of Dlarhaa. 



The speaker concluded that the genus DiacJicca was properly as- 

 sociated with the Order Didymiaceie (including the genus *S)j/(»(orm) 

 notwithstanding its points of resemblance to the genus Lamproderma 

 suggesting its possibly closer relationship to the Order Stemonitacea'. 



The differences between the present gatherings and the former ones 

 were probably due to climatic causes, the excessive rainfall and great 

 atmospheric humidity prevailing in the North Carolina mountains 

 during July and tiie early part of August of the present year, caus- 

 ing an exuberant development of plasmodium wliich resulted in a 

 growtli of unusually" aggregated and icthalioid forms 



October 28. 

 Dr. 0. N. Tkirck in the Chair. 



Twenty-five persons present. 



A paper entitled "Notes on the Mammals of Monroe and Pike 

 Counties, Pennsylvania," by Samuel N. Rhoads, was presented for 

 {)ublication. 



The death of F. Oden Horstmann, a member, was announced. 



