TERMITE fungi: A RESUME. 323 



mycelium which runs over the branches of living trees and 

 shrubs, is Marasmius equicrinis in the Eastern tropics, but a 

 totally different species, Marasmius sarmentosus, in the West 

 Indies ; the leaduig herbaria do not contain any specimen of 

 Marasmius equicrinis from the Western, nor of Marasmius 

 sarmentosus from the Eastern Hemisphere). With the excep- 

 tion of three (two of which are now published for the first time) , 

 these synonyms were given in " The Fungi of certain Termite 

 Nests," &c. ; in Saccardo, Sylloge Fungorum, XXI., they 

 are erroneously attributed to von Hohnel. 



The agaric arises from the nest while it is still inhabited by 

 the termites. It seldom appears on the actual termite hill, 

 but usually among the grass roimd the base. At Peradeniya 

 it is more frequently found growing from subterranean nests 

 which have not yet attained the hill stage, and whose presence 

 is indicated by a few small chimneys only. Holtermann states 

 that he was guided to the termite nest by observing the 

 agaric ; that is quite possible, since in many instances there 

 is no chimney to betray the existence of an underground nest, 

 and even when a chimney exists, the chambers may extend to 

 a considerable distance (up to ten yards) from it. The stalk is 

 easily traced down to the nest, and in all the cases examined 

 the nest has been found to be inhabited. In one instance a 

 cluster of unexpanded agarics was observed, and by digging 

 near them their stalks were found to spring from a single comb. 

 These were left in situ with the object of obtaining a photo- 

 graph when the pilei were fully developed, but during the 

 night the termites ate up all traces of the agarics and sealed up 

 the broken chamber and the holes in the soil which the stalks 

 had left. Holtermann states that he traced the stalk of the 

 agaric down to the nest in hundreds of cases ; considering the 

 labour involved, his numbers are no doubt not intended to be 

 taken literally, but it could certainly be done if one cared to 

 devote the necessary time to it. At Peradeniya the stalk has 

 been traced down to the nest so many times that there is no 

 further doubt about the matter. 



The stalk of the agaric is always found to spring from the 

 actual comb. It does not, as the Xylaria sometimes does, 

 pass in the soil into myceliujii whose connection with the 



