2 86 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



The glebal mass solitary, spherical, devoid of glebal chambers, 

 whilst in the urceolus becoming slimy on its exterior surface, at 

 first paler, then orange-yellow to dark-brown, more highly 

 coloured above than below, with the consistence of wax, adhesive 

 when ejected, hardening on drying but not becoming brittle, 

 turning black with age, 1 containing numerous spores and some 

 gemmae. The ejection of the glebal mass accomplished by the 

 sudden eversion of the inner layers of the peridium which, after the 

 ejection, appear as a pearly vesicle crowning and attached to the 

 outer membranes of the peridium. The basidia intermingled in the 

 glebal subdivisions, short, swollen, more or less oval, without sterig- 

 mata, bearing at the apical end 4-9 sessile crowded spores, disappear- 

 ing completely before the glebal mass is discharged. The spores 

 colourless, smooth, oval but a few more or less globular, 6-8 x 4-5 /x. 

 Gemmae chiefly in the outer part of the gleba, more or less oval or 

 elongated, larger than the spores, readily germinating in the gleba, 

 the germ-tubes bearing clamp-connexions. 



Scattered or crowded on twigs, sticks, decaying stumps, boards, 

 posts, sawdust, old sacking, cordage, etc., and also on the dung of 

 herbivorous animals, e.g. cows, horses, rabbits, hares, and elephants. 

 Of world-wide distribution. Recorded in Europe, the United 

 States, Canada, Trinidad, New Zealand, Japan, and Ceylon. 



Miss Walker has thus described her new variety of 8. stellatus 

 and her new species 8. iowensis : 



Sphaerobolus stellatus var. giganteus 



" Basidiocarps having the colour, structure, and appearance of 

 S. stellatus but being much larger— up to 4 mm, in diameter (usually 

 about 3 mm.) in unopened basidiocarps and 5-6 mm. from tip to tip 

 of peridium in opened basidiocarps. Spores globular with a slight 

 apiculus, 5-7 x 6-8 /a, mostly 6-7 /u." 



Found on dung (horse ?) at Starkville, Miss., U.S.A. Distin- 

 guished from typical 8. stellatus by its large size and globular spores. 



1 At the end of five years glebal masses kept in a glass tube were found to have 

 become quite black. 



