THE PHALLOIDE^ OF CEYLON. 179 



The spores are hyaline, oblong, 6-10 > 1-5-2 y.i. 



A smaller specimen gathered by Mr. J. F. Jowitt, at Craig, 

 Bandarawela (5, 600 feet), agrees with the former in general 

 details, but has only sixteen arms, which are obscurely arranged 

 in pairs, i.e., each second division between the arms is slightly 

 shorter than the intermediate divisions. 



The smell is extremely foetid, but in my specimens, which 

 I have gathered during heavy rains, it was not perceptible at 

 a short distance, not until the specimens were held in the hand. 

 But Mr. Green informs me that when entering a plantation 

 he has detected it by its odour. Junghuhn says (Schlecht., de 

 Aseroes), " Geruch des ganzen Pilzes ist schwach aber eher 

 angenehm als widrig." The current opinion in Ceylon is 

 decidedly to the contrary. 



Berkeley's figure of Aseroi' rubra shows perforations in the 

 disc opposite each pair of arms. No such pei-forations occur 

 in any of my Ceylon specimens. 



The immature fungus removed from the volva consists of a 

 short somewhat conical stalk and a spherical head. The lower 

 third of this head is formed by the disc and the remainder by 

 the closely packed arms. The arms do not meet in a point at 

 the top, but fold over »ne another in a most complicated 

 fashion, as shown in the drawing. The ends are not visible. A 

 longitudinal section shows that the upper part of the head is 

 hollow, the trama plates of the gleba are confined to the 

 region immediately above the mouth of the stalk, and the 

 arms are continued into the head, twisted together as far as 

 the gleba. In younger specimens, when the egg is solid, the 

 infolded arms fill the upper third and the gleba the lower two 

 thirds of the central space, the interstices between the central 

 mass of arms and the exterior being filled with trans- 

 parent jelly. 



Schlechtendal's figure of the longitudinal section shows the 

 outer circumference formed by the arms, and a central tube 

 extending from the stalk to the apex : the remaining space is 

 completely filled by the gleba (?). It is no doubt intended to 

 show the infolding of the arms, but it is incorrect in represent- 

 ing them as passing through the gleba. 



