OF CERTAIN TERMITE NESTS. 219 



it is probable that the tissue employed was too old. The 

 stages figured on PI. XIX. were not available when these 

 experiments were attempted. 



Holtermann in 1899 (7) says that the spores germinate in a 

 particular solution which he will describe elsewhere, but in his 

 account of this solution (of palm sugar) in 1901 (8) he states 

 that he had no success with the spores of pink-spored agarics. 



The history of the agarics figured on PI. IX. is instructive. 

 The chamber was opened in the afternoon, and after a photo- 

 graph had been secured the fungi were left to develop further. 

 Next morning it was found that the opening had been closed 

 and that the agarics were still unexpanded. On the third day 

 two of these fell over, followed on the fourth day by the other 

 three. On reopening the chamber it was found that all the 

 developing agarics had disappeared and the termites had eaten 

 away the stalks of those above ground, following them up to 

 the surface until they collapsed and then closing up the hole. 

 A fortnight later I reopened the cavity to extract some of the 

 comb ; as before, it was closed again by the termites before the 

 next day : at the end of another fortnight I reopened it again 

 for the same purpose, but found that all the comb had been 

 removed. Thus it is certain that the termites may eat the 

 agarics and that they remove the comb probably by eating 

 it also. In another instance a wall was built round the stalk 

 of a mature agaric, and the whole of the stalk and part of 

 the pileus was devoured. 



With reference to Doflein's suggestion that the termite fungi 

 are common in the neighbourhood of the nest on dead wood, it 

 may be stated that in every case where this agaric has been found , 

 it has been determined that it proceeded from a termite comb. 



There remains for consideration the systematic position of 

 the fungus. The following descriptions undoubtedly relate 

 to this species; — 



Armillaria eurhiza Berk. Decades of Fungi, No. 146. 



Pileo carnoso, e subconico expanso, fortiter umbonato, 

 cute gelatinosa, rugosa vestito : stipite sursum attenuato, 



