146 The North American Cup-Fungi 



to the outside of the apothecium; asci clavate, reaching a length 

 of 55-100 M and a diameter 18-28 /x, 72-spored; spores elHpsoid, 

 hyahne, reaching a length of 5 ^ and a diameter of 3 /x ; paraphyses 

 slender, enlarged aboye, reaching a diameter of 6 ^ at their 

 apices. 



On bird dung. 



Type locality: Finland. 



Distribution: Greenland; also in Europe. 



4. Ryparobius polysporus (Karst.) Sacc. Syll. Fung. 8: 539. 

 1889. (Plate 12. fig. 5.) 



Ascoholus polysporus Karst. Fungi Fenn. 655. 1867; Not. Fauna Fl. Fenn. 



11: 208. 1870. 

 Peziza polyspora Karst. Myc. Fenn. 1: 82. 1871. 



Ryparobius pachyascus Zukal; Rehm, Ascom. 914; Hedwigia 27: 167. 1888. 

 Ascozonus oligoascos Heimerl, Niederost. Ascoboleen 27. 1889. 



Apothecia gregarious or scattered, subglobose, becoming more 

 or less expanded at the top, very minute, scarcely visible to 

 the unaided eye and difficult to find even with a lens, often 

 partially immersed in the substratum, yellowish to yellowish- 

 brown, not exceeding 100-150 ^ in diameter; excipulum for a 

 long time entirely enclosing the apothecium, finally rupturing 

 irregularly and exposing the asci and paraphyses, which constitute 

 a poorly developed hymenium; asci comparatively few to each 

 plant, not usually exceeding 3-5, broad-clavate to subovoid, the 

 small end directed downward, reaching a length of 70-150 ^ 

 (often stretching when mature) and a diameter of 35-50 jjl, with 

 a faint suggestion of a ring near the apex, many-spored; spores 

 irregularly disposed, small, ellipsoid, the exact number in each 

 ascus difficult to determine with certainty, 3 X 5-7 m; paraphyses 

 minute and indistinct. 



On dung of different kinds, especially abundant on goat 

 dung. 



Type locality: Europe. 



Distribution: New York to Colorado; also in Europe. 



Illustrations: Rab. Krypt.-Fl. V: 1083,/. 1-3; Bull. Lab. 

 Nat. Hist. State Univ. Iowa 6: pi. 34, f. 2; Heimerl, Niederost. 

 Ascoboleen pi. l,f. 1. 



