316 FETCH: 



of T. natalensis, it would seem clear that the bodies described 

 are sclerotia. In that case their occurrence in termite nests 

 would be no new feature, though in nests of other species they 

 have never been found to be white.. This author had evidently 

 been misled by Holtermann's account, which, as far as regards 

 the formation of the oidia, is quite inaccurate. 



In 1906 Prof. F. E. Weiss wrote, in a description of a journey 

 in South Africa : " The monotony of the grass- veld was also 

 broken by the nests of white ants (termites) dotted about over 



the plain Occasionally we saw growing from the top 



of a ruined or forsaken nest a tuft of agarics, due no doubt to 

 the exuberant gi-owth of the fungus which many of the termites 

 cultivate for food." In the absence of any examination of 

 these fungi, this record is not of much value, except that it 

 serves to show the need of further investigation in South 

 Africa. 



I have recently received, per C. G. Lloyd, specimens of a 

 sclerotium, apparently identical with Sclerolium stipitatum , 

 wliich had been found by the Rev. J. Gillet in termite nests in 

 the Congo. 



Ceylon. 



In 1905 Doflein published a description of termite nests in 

 Ceylon, chieflj' from the zoological standpoint. He noted the 

 white spheres, and stated that when the comb is placed under 

 a bell glass it develops numerous, long, cylindrical " fructi- 

 fications." As in Holterjnann's experiment, these were 

 incomplete Xylaria stromata, not agarics as Doflein states. 

 The agaric nevcrdcvelops from the comb under such conditions. 



In the following year the present writer published an 

 account of the fungi found in termite nests in Ceylon. The 

 white spheres, the agaric, the Xylaria, and the sclerotium 

 were descrilK'd, and in addition a Peziza was recorded. In 

 later papers it was shown that Sclerolium siipitalum ]3erk. & 

 Curr. is the sclerotium of the termite Xylnria, and that the 

 Peziza commonly grows from desertetl terniilc nests. 



.M.\|)A(;as('ak. 

 A very full uccijunt of the fungi found in termite nests in 

 Madugatjcar haw Ixjcn given by Jumolle and Pcrrier de la 



