PHALLOIDE^ OF CEYLON. 11 



network of crimson ridges, vvliile the sloping sides are slightly 

 fluted. The gleba is dark olive, and is confined to the crimson 

 ridged area on the inner side of the arms. 



The arms are composed of large irregular chambers in one 

 or two layers, but the arrangement of the two layers is not 

 regular. The walls of these chambers are perforated by 

 minute crowded openings on the outer surface, and by larger, 

 more scattered openings on the inner surfaces of tlie arms. 

 Internally, the chambers communicate by large openings in 

 their walls, so much so that in places there appears only a 

 series of struts from side to side within the arm. It is probably 

 owing to this excessive perforation that perfect examples 

 have never been observed. The arms break at any point, 

 and apparently soon after expansion. In one of my specimens 

 the base of the net had broken up into mere fragments. 



The mycelium is white, and up to 4 mms. diameter. The 

 spores are greenish-hyaline, oblong, with rounded ends, 

 4-5 X 2\x. 



Judging from the broken specimens, the fungus would be 

 15 to 20 centimetres high when expanded. 



Simblum periphragmoides Klotzsch. 



This species proves to be even more common at Peradeniya 

 than was previously supposed. It frequently occurs in 

 numbers on small areas, which yield successive crops of 

 specimens for a long period. These patches are usually found 

 among short grass, and the fungus is not then conspicuous 

 except at close quarters. Five specimens were gathered from 

 one such patch on July 17, 1908. During the drier weather of 

 August no more were seen, but between September 30 and 

 October 12, twenty-seven more were collected from the same 

 area. It was not possible to make continuous observations, 

 but on a chance inspection of the same spot in June, 1909, i.e., 

 during the next rainy period, seven more specimens were 

 observed. It was remarkable that the specimens usually 

 stood apart from one another, or if two occurred close together 

 both were expanded at the same time. There were never 

 any " eggs " closely connected with the expanded specimens. 

 This is in striking contrast to the habit of Dictijophora , for on 



