TERMITE FUNGI : A RESUME. 309 



probably not a common species in Ceylon. The species before 



us probably belongs to the subgenus Armillaria, and may be 



called Agaricus termitigena, the characters of which, so far as 



they can be elicited without dried specimens, for those before 



us may have lost their colour, may be given as follows : — 



" Pileus 1-2 inches across, strongly and obtusely umbonate, 



smooth centre, or notched at the margin, which is 



thin and even, or slightly striate ; edge at first 



slightly inflexed. 



" Stem 8 inches high, | inch thick, solid, cartilaginous, not 



twisted, darker than the pileus, especially towards 



the base, slightly tomentose or fibrillose ; ring 



ascending, permanent, situated near the top of the 



stem, with a more or less lacerated margin. 



" Gills rather narrow, very much crowded, quite free, 



rounder behind ; edge entire." 

 There is no doubt that this species, which has escaped 

 inclusion in " Saccardo," is identical with Lentinus cartila- 

 gineus. I may state that I have seen numerous specimens 

 from various parts of India, which were included in a collection 

 of Indian edible fungi forwarded to Kew from the Indian 

 Museum, Calcutta. As the fungus is common in India, it has 

 no doubt received many other names. It is most probable 

 that Berkeley's impUed suggestion that his specimens had been 

 grown on artificially prepared beds was incoriect, for the agaric 

 does not grow on white ant soil, but on the combs. 



The above-mentioned communications evoked similar 

 criticisms in India, and one letter from W. T. Gibbon, Goruck- 

 pore, which was published in the Proceedings (?) of the 

 Agri- Horticultural Society of India, was republished in the 

 " Gardeners' Chronicle," III., n. s. (1875), p. 376, and again in 

 " Grevillea," III., p. 165. The following extracts are taken 

 from that letter : — 



" I now send you a bottle containing mushrooms I extracted 

 a few days ago from the centre of a white ant hillock. When 

 I collected them they were in appearance like asparagus, over 

 fourteen inches in length, and the people about here consider 

 them particularly good eating, partaking of them both raw 

 and cooked, and call them ' bhuephor.' 



