ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 491 



British ThelephoraceaB.*—E. M. Wakefield continues her work on 

 resupinate fungi, dealing mainly with the genus Hypochnus, in which 

 are included only species with coloured warted spores, and to which are 

 referred all species hitherto classified under Lomentella, a genus of later 

 date. There is one new species described, Hypochnus cyamus, which 

 varies in colour from " deep dull violaceous blue " through " Eton blue " 

 to '• glaucous green." It was found at Kew on wet coniferous logs. 

 Another new fungus, Cortkium. coprophilum, is also recorded and de- 

 scribed ; it grew on old horse-dung in a flower-bed ; it is distinguished 

 by the habitat and by the minute globose spores. 



Sparassis radicata sp. n.f — James E. Weir has described this new 

 member of the genus ; it is distinguished by its thin lobes and by an 

 unusually large perennial rootstalk of the nature of a sclerotium, from 

 which new sporophores are developed from year to year. He also dis- 

 cusses the systematic position of the genus, which he thinks should be 

 placed in the family Thelephoracese. 



The new fungus is generally found growing at the base of coniferous 

 trees ; it is 12-22 cm. broad and 10-lG cm. high, dilated above and 

 whitish, becoming creamy yellow with age. The most important feature 

 is its parasitism on the roots of conifers to which the long rootstalk is 

 attached. The mycelium attacks the bast of the roots, later the wood, 

 producing a yellow or brown carbonizing rot. Up to date only four 

 trees, all conifers, have been found to have succumbed to the action of 

 the fungus. 



Contribution to the Study of Coprinus.J— A. Sartory pubUshes 

 microscopic details of a series of Coprini, with especial reference to the 

 form, size and exact coloration of the spores, the form of the cells com- 

 posing the gills, and the form and disposition of the gills themselves. 

 The cystidia when present are also described. 



Critical Notes on Coprinus, etc.§ — A. H. E. Buller publishes some 

 results of his long study of the genus Coprinus. He gives seven points 

 in connexion with the production and liberation of spores that are 

 peculiar to Coprinus, and that are all inter-related ; they consist of the 

 structure of the gills, the position of the maturing spores from below 

 upwards, and auto-digestion of the gills. The author then proceeds to 

 discuss the systematic position of Psathyra urticsecola, which he judges 

 to be a true Coprinus. Coprinus plicatilis is considered and found 

 to be also a true Coprinus, though it has lost one of the Coprinus 

 characters, namely, auto-digestion. Psathyrella disseminata has recently 

 been transferred "by Lange to Coprinus, but Buller finds that it lacks all 

 the decisive Coprinus characters, and considers that there is no good 

 reason for changing its systematic position. 



* Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc, v. (1917) pp. 474-81. 

 t Phytopathology, vii. (1917) pp. 166-77 (5 figs.), 

 t C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxx. (1917) pp. 347-8. 

 § Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc, v. (1917) pp. 482-9. 



