310 FETCH : 



" When I read the above article in your Society's Journal 

 somewhat over a j-ear ago, 1 was then aware that mushrooms 

 existed in the interior of ant-hills, for I had often seen them, 

 but I did not know their season of sprouting, and whenever 

 I searched was unsuccessful until the other day. I have now 

 ascertained the season they sprout is the end of August or the 

 hegimiing of September, and I believe all ant-hills produce 

 them then. These mushrooms appear to me to proceed from 

 a peculiar substance always found in ant-hills in this country 

 (whether white or black), generally called ants' food, a bluish 

 gritty substance, like coarse wheat flour turned mouldy and 

 adhesive. In dry weather brittle, and in damp weather Uke 

 .soft leather. It is this substance, under the combined influence 

 of heat, damp, and darkness, from which the mushi'ooms 

 grow. As my experience is at variance with the writer in the 

 ' Gardeners' Chronicle,' you may care to record it." 



The specimens referred to were submitted to Dr. D. D. 

 Cunningham, who replied that thej'^ apparenth^ belonged to 

 some s])ccics of Lepiota, and were chiefly remarkable for the 

 extreme length and coarse fibrous contents of the stem. 



These specimens were undoubtedly immature Lentinus 

 cartilayincus. The " ant food " is the termite comb. The 

 production of the agaric is dependent upon the condition of 

 the comb, not on the time of the year, though, of course, they 

 cannot 'jxinetrate the soil and appear above ground when it ia 

 baked hard in the dry seascms. 



In the " (iardcners' Chronicle," XVII. (1882), p. 401, 

 licrkeley ])ublished another article on the subject, entitled 

 " Fungi of Ants' Nests," from whic-h the following extracts 

 are taken : — 



The fungi which occur in tropical countries on ants' nests 

 are for the most part very peculiar, but no fungologist has yet 

 maxlo a special study of them in the countries where they 

 abound. Sptu-imenK of one or two Hy)ecio8 of Podaxcni are 



fre<|Mf'ntly gathere<J by botanists and an esculent 



agaric has once been found on them in abundance, while a 

 very singular form, to which the provisional name of Lentinus 

 cartilcujinciui was given, was found by Mr. Ciardner four feet 

 beU)w the surface of the earth on the comb of the termites ; 



