OF CERTAIN TERMITE NESTS. 241 



Very few survived, but those that did, except in one instance, 

 developed perithecia. The first was gathered on August 15 : 

 it was unbranched and bore perithecia like small globules 

 attached to a stem ; the spores were not ripe. Others were 

 gathered on September 13 ; these were simple, bifid, or 

 forked into four branches, with a whitish, conidiferous tip, 

 and a lower portion the colour of X. nigripes, rough with pro- 

 jecting ostiola. The spores of these were identical with those 

 of X. nigripes. The largest marked stroma, some three 

 centimetres high, was forked dichotomously : after appearing 

 to cease growth with the others, it threw out new conidiferous 

 branches in September, and again in October, during wet 

 weather : it still (November 19) shows no signs of producing 

 perithecia. 



These results show that the mycelium of xylarias is always 

 present in the termite comb. When a comb is taken from 

 the nest and placed under a bell jar, a conidial form always 

 develops, and the same appears when combs are planted in 

 pots. In the latter case a second conidial form, that of X. 

 nigripes, may appear first. From deserted combs in the nest, 

 however, there arise, under suitable conditions, first, the 

 conidial and ascus stages of X. nigripes, and subsequently the 

 conidial form of the other species, which, when it develops 

 further, has many points of resemblance with X. nigripes, e.g. , 

 spores, ascus, perithecium, formation of sclerotia, and colour. 

 The association and order of development are constant in all 

 localities, and it may, I think, be inferred that there is really 

 only one xylaria, viz., Xylaria nigripes, which possesses dis- 

 tinct conidial and ascus forms, and also an ascus-conidial form 

 with conidia of a different type. Whether Xylaria nigripes 

 is confined to termite combs or not is undecided. Its regular 

 occurrence when the termites have been removed from or have 

 deserted a comb indicates that the mycelium vegetates in the 

 comb, and that all developing xylarias are " weeded out." 



Two references to these Xylaria stromata have been noted. 

 Holtermann (7) relates that the combs which he kept in 



