HYMENOGASTRACEAE 39 



the peridium, concolorous with it in places but usually appearing white (?) to the naked 

 eye or hyaline under the microscope; 74-148/* thick. Threads of the tramal plates 

 2-6m thick, separate, considerably branched and much entangled, highly gelatinizable. 

 Glebal chambers quite variable in size, 0.3-2 mm. long, elongated or polygonal basidia 

 irregularly disposed. 



Spores black in mass, dark brown under microscope, 3.5^1 x 7-10. 4/u, elliptic, 

 smooth, with a distinct hyaline cup (the remains of the short stalk which attached the 

 spore to the basidium) at the proximal end. Basidia irregularly arranged, 4.2-5 x 

 12-18p, club-shaped, usually with four spores, rarely with three or only two. 



The spores of the present plant have been compared with type material kindly sent 

 us by Dr. Dodge from the Sprague Herbarium at Cambridge. The spore sizes of the 

 type vary from 3.7-4.5 x 7-9/j, rarely 10,u long, and have rather indistinct prongs (rings) 

 at the proximal end. The spores of the present plant, while agreeing with the type in 

 size, differ from the latter in having the proximal end extended into a rather long and 

 fairly conspicuous cup-like stalk. These cup-like extensions while present on the proxi- 

 mal end of the type spores are much less conspicuous than in the present plant. The 

 threads composing the tramal plates and peridium of the type material are so collapsed 

 that it is very difficult to make out their structure. The present plant agrees with 

 material kindly given us by the New York Botanical Garden which was collected and 

 identified by Dr. Hollos in Hungary (Krypt. Exs. No. 1812) except that the spores of 

 the latter plant are slightly thicker and without such a distinct stalk. The slight 

 differences in spore size and structure do not seem sufficient to exclude the present plant 

 from M. variegatus. 



The present species is distinct from the Blowing Rock plant No. 5804, described 

 below, in size, in peridial structure and in spore color and size. 



Illustrations: Bucholtz. Beitr. Morph. und Syst. der Hypogaeen (Tuberaceen und Gastromyceten), 

 pi. 1, fig. 19. 

 Fries, Th. C. E. Sveriges Gasteromyceter, fig. 36. 



N'ew York. McLean, near Ithaca. J. H. Miller, coll. August 17, 1924. (Cornell Univ. Herb., No. 



12657.) Two specimens collected together and attached at base by rhizomorphs. 

 Canada. Deamess, coll. Reported by Lloyd, Myc. Notes, p. 1064. 



Melanogaster nauseosus n. sp. 



Plates 27 and 108 



Fruiting bodies gregarious, subglobose; up to 3 cm. wide by 2 cm. high, most 

 about 2 cm. wide by 1 .5 cm. high. Peridium light cinnamon brown when fresh, becoming 

 darker, about russet; outer part turning reddish upon being cut or bruised or eaten by 

 insects. Fibrils rather large below, few and very inconspicuous above, darker than the 

 peridium. Peridium, 300-600/j thick, single; composed of large, subglobose to elon- 

 gated vesicular cells usually about 20/i thick, often up to 33 x46/i; on the outer side are 

 occasional patches of septate irregular threads with clamp connections. Gleba at 

 first white, then becoming light tan and auburn as the spores mature and finally black 

 in the dried plants, except for the yellowish tramal plates; more or less firm and solid 

 when fresh and young, but changing upon maturing into a slimy gelatinized mass. 

 Glebal chambers 1-3 mm. wide, polygonally shaped, loosely filled from the first with 

 hyaline hyphae. In these are developed one to several "pockets" of spores. Chambers 

 without a distinct hymenial layer, basidia irregularly disposed. Basidia elongated, 

 club-shaped, 4.6-5.8/t thick, with 4-8, usually 6 or 7, nearly sessile spores. Basidia 



