TERMITE FUNGI: A RESUME. 311 



and the same botanist also gathered in Ceylon what appears to 

 be a form of the common Xylaria hypoxylon on the combs of 

 the white ant. But doubtless many interesting, though less 

 attractive, forms would reward closer researches. We there- 

 fore received with great interest specimens of a minute white 

 fungus sent by Dr. Duthie from Saharunpore, which he found, 

 to use his own phrase, ' in some white ant runs about two feet 

 below the surface of the ground.' 



" The portions of earthy crust, though extremely fragile, 

 arrived in perfect order, and with a common lens showed 

 little white globules which had all the appearance of Persoon's 

 Mgerita Candida, and on closer examination it was found that 

 the appearance was not deceptive, as the structure was clearly 

 very much the same with what is figured in the ' Notices of 

 British Fungi ' as the real formation of that fungus, but with 

 the addition of conidia which show a material difference, 



though not sufficient to constitute a distinct genus We 



give a figure, under the name of M. Duthei. The little white 

 globose bodies consist of a compact mass of threads with 

 swollen joints, which are often branched, and bear at their 

 upper end one or two globose smooth spines, which, according 

 to Mr. Broome's observations, sometimes form httle chains ; 

 mixed with these threads and proceeding from them are much 

 more slender threads with oblong joints, the ultimate points 

 falling off, and which must therefore be regarded as conidia." 



The article is illustrated by two figures, which show that the 

 Indian fungus is identical with that which occurs in the same 

 habitat in Ceylon. 



With Berkeley's article this period of activity in India 

 appears to have ceased. In the Proceedings of the Agri- 

 Horticultural Society of India, 1889, a communication is 

 recorded from Mr. J. Cleghorn, Balasore, in which he states 

 that the white ant combs produce fungus spores, and that 

 these spores on exposure to the light produce very handsome 

 fungoid growths. In an editorial note it is stated that 

 Mr. Cleghorn had forwarded several letters on the subject, 

 but as his researches were still in progress, and would probably 

 be embodied in a paper, they were not then reproduced. I 

 have not been able to trace any further communication from 



6(9)12 (40) 



