OF CERTAIN TERMITE NESTS. 239 



the end of a week all the conidial forms decayed, leaving only 

 the still unripe perithecial form. Thus the conidial and ascus 

 stages of Xylaria nigripes are borne on different stromata : 

 they are probably united to the same rooting base, but this has 

 not been determined with certainty : they are alike in their dis- 

 tinct stalk and the possession of a black central core about 

 •25-1 mm. in diameter. Apparently in moderately dry seasons 

 only the ascus stage is produced. 



When all the conidial forms of Xylaria nigripes were dead, 

 the conidial form of the other Xylaria appeared. The ma- 

 jority of these were only 5-10 millimetres high, but some 

 reached 3 centimetres ; most of them branched dichotomously. 

 They slowly turned black at the base, but had little or 

 no distinct stalk except the rooting base in the soil. The 

 conidiophores of these were identical with figures 29 and 30, 

 and in every respect the stromata resembled those developed 

 on the termite combs under cultivation. They are distin- 

 guished from the conidial stage of Xylaria nigripes by the 

 different conidiophore, whiter colour, the absence of the 

 black central core, and their flexibility, the conidial form 

 of Xylaria nigripes being brittle. Nearly all these died 

 without producing perithecia, but fortunately one or two of 

 the larger developed further and thus demonstrated that they 

 were really Xylarias. 



On digging down at the edge of these patches, it was found 

 that all these stromata grew from deserted termite combs 

 40-50 centimetres below the surface. The combs were thickly 

 covered with fine mycelium which almost filled their inner 

 passages also, and from this arose the black bases of the aerial 

 structures. From the growth of the fungi it was evident that 

 the combs had been deserted for some time, and only in one 

 case was it possible to identify the species of termite by the 

 discovery of part of a dead soldier of Termes redemanni. 



In the cavities occupied by these deserted combs were found 

 also large, black, irregular or fig-shaped sclerotia. These 

 measured up to 8 cms. in length, 3 cms. in breadth, and were 



9(8)06 (19) 



