'.i 1 4 FETCH : 



which does not seem to differ from the Ceylon species, and 

 Theissen has recorded a Xylaria from the same habitat. This 

 Xylaria was originally figured and described as Xylaria. scolica 

 Cooke, var. hrasiliensis Theiss., and subsequently as Xylaria 

 arcnicola Wehw & Curr., var. hrasiliensis Theiss., but Theissen 

 has since decided that it is Xylaria nigripes Klotzsch ; accord- 

 ing to his measurement, however, the spores are greater 

 (6-10 X 4-5 [x) than those of Xylaria nigripes (4-5 X 3 [i.). 

 Xylaria arenicola will probably be found to be the African 

 form of X. nigripes. 



Australia. 

 In a list of fungi found near Brisbane, Queensland, Berkeley 

 states that Podaxon aircinomalis is found on ant-hills in that 

 district. I have not been able to find any other records of 

 fungi connected with termite nests in Australia. 



Africa. 



For the following details relating to recent work in Africa, 

 1 am indebted chiefly to Wheeler's paper. 



Sjostcdt has added a number of species to the list of fungus- 

 growing termites from Africa. In an extract from his mono- 

 graph on the African termites, quoted by Wheeler, it is stated : 

 " The nest or fungus garden itself is rather fragile, and made 

 up of morel-like, folded, and rounded disks, separated by a 

 labyrinth of long, ventricose, or more rarely rounded cavities. 

 The surface is lumpy, and shows that the whole consists of 

 spherical jjarticles." The species to which this refers is 

 Entcrmes hckrodon. It will be seen that Sjostcdt docs not 

 mention any fungus, and it would ajipcar probable that there 

 is some confusion here between " fungus gardens," i.e., combs 

 which j)r()duce fungi, and ordinary or non-fungus-producing 

 combs, more specially since the habit of growing fungi is not 

 a characteristic of Eutermes. 



Triigardh, in lilOl, jniblished an account of fungus-growing 

 termites in the .Siulan. Of one of them, Terjncs natalcnsis, 

 he states : " Under tiie microscope the surface of the substra- 

 tum is wen to he covered with a fine feltwork of mycelium. 

 and under still higher magnification small hyphoo may Ijc 

 dctectod. These are aggregated here and there to form small 



