338 FETCH : 



nests of the leaf -cutting ants investigated by Moller, nor from 

 the Ambrosia fungi which are found in the galleries of various 

 boring beetles ; in no instance has any connection been proved 

 between the fimgus cultivated by the insect and any " higher " 

 form. 



Jumelle and Perrier de la Bathie consider that Mgerita 

 Duthei is a conidial stage, or a form of the mj-cehum, of 

 Xylaria nigripes, their chief reason being that the Xylaria 

 mycelium constantly appears in great abundance as soon as 

 the termites are removed from the comb. 



In " The Fungi of certain Termite Nests " the writer urged 

 that the balance of probability pomted to the agaric rather 

 than the Xylaria as the higher form of JSgerita Duthei, the 

 chief reasons being (1) that the agaric is the only other fungus 

 which grows from the inhabited nest, and (2) that another 

 Ceylon agaric, Entoloma microcarpum B. & Br., arises from a 

 mycelium composed of spheres, which to some extent resemble 

 those on the termite comb. 



However, neither of these views is supported by experi- 

 mental evidence, and at the present ^gerita. Duthei can only 

 be regarded as independent of the other fungi which occur in 

 t-crraite nests. 



Exception has been taken to the statement that the termites 

 " weed out " the Xylaria and the Pcziza from the cultivation 

 of JEgerita Duthei. The phrase is, perhaps, open to objection, 

 but there can ])c no doubt that the mycelia of these two species 

 are present in termite combs, and that theii* develoi)ment is in 

 some way prevented so long as the combs are inhabited. 



Bibliography. 



1. Berkeley, Rev. M. J.— Muslirooms from Wliito Ant Soil. 



CiirdoiuTK' Chroniflo (IMfl'.t), p. S1.3 ; p. 1306. 



2. Berkeley, Rev. M. J.— Fungi of AmIk' Nosts. Gardeners' 



("lin.hi<l(.. XVn.. II. H. (1H82), p. 401 ; 2 figs. 



3. Berkeley, M. J., and Broome, C. E.— List of Fungi from 



QimmwikIiumI rtnd ot Iior parts of Austrftlirt. TmiiH. 

 F.,iiin. Sor . II.. n. h., pp. 217-224. 



