bet\feen the channels of the bark, but although its lobes may be flaccid their character of growth is vertical, 

 not 2dane and prostrate, or even reversed, as is the case with the Exidia. Both Funguses give out a brown 

 tint to water. With many points that may cause confusion between them, the main fact to be noted is that 

 the Exidia is an Exidia, and the Tremella a Tremella, and to the professed botanist this would be note 

 sufficient; we are not writing, however, solely for botanists, and therefore will mention again the great 

 difference between the two classes. 



The Tremellas, however they may be folded, plaited, corrugated, lobed, or inflated, consist of an entire 

 sac-shaped membrane never opening into a cup, nor forming the ear-like shapes which give a name to the 

 great division Auricularini, under which the Exidias were formerly placed; these true Tremellas being 

 thus sac-formed, have no decided edges that can be properly designated as margins. Exidias consisting 

 of a more or less open expanding membrane have margltis ; also the hymenium covers every external part 

 of a Tremella, whilst in an Exidia only the upper surface is fertile, as in the Pezizas. Tremella fimhriata 

 (as well as several other species of that class) when laid upon a glass in a fresh moist state, deposits its 

 spores plentifully and is frosted over with them when imder a miscroscope, the fructification resembUug 

 that of the Agarics ; but in the Exidias the spores are exploded fi'om thread-shaped tubes in a somewhat 

 simUar manner to those of Pezizas. 



It has been said that those Funguses which are capable of revivification can undergo the process only 

 once, the second soaking fails ; but if this is true of Agarics, it is not borne out by experiments on the 

 gelatinous kinds, such as we are now treating of; they swell out and collapse again not only with every 

 shower and drying gale wliile growing, but on the application of water artificially and subsequent desic- 

 cation, at several successive soakings ; boihng water acts most efficaciously, but of that they certainly will 

 not bear a repetition. The whimsical name " Witches' butter " has not the recommendation of any kind of 

 appropriateness such as renders many country epithets interesting; black it is, and that is all that can 

 connect it with " Black Art " besides its being a Fungus ; but butter it resembles in no characteristic 

 whatever ; the student will be greatly misled in liis search for it, if he imagines it to do so. It has no 

 peculiar quality, nor is it of any utility that we are aware of; but it deserves notice, and it seems well to 

 elucidate the differences between several species wliich careless observers might confound together. 



