120 



G. MASSEE ON THE LABOULBENIACEAE, 



more commonly scattered, but often densely crowded over certain 

 areas, on which they form a furry coating." 



The members of the Laboulbeniaceae differ from other groups 

 of fungi that are parasitic on insects, in not exercising any 

 injurious influence on their host. 



The members of the Laboulbeniaceae were first recognised 

 as members of the vegetable kingdom by Kobin, a Frenchman ; 

 but until Thaxter commenced his investigations only about 

 half a dozen species were known, and these were imperfectly 



— c 



-Zr 



CL - 



Fig. 1. 



Camptomijces onelanopns Thaxt. a. Antheridium with antherozoids escaping. 

 h. Ascophore. c. Trichogyne with antherozoids attached, d. Point of 

 attachment to host. Highly magnified. (After Thaxter) 



understood. Thaxter's beautifully illustrated work on the 

 group, entitled "Contributions towards a Monograph of the 

 Laboulbeniaceae," forms Vol. XII. No. 3 of the " Memoirs of 

 the American Academy of Arts and Sciences," 1896, and deals 

 with the morphology, life-history, systematic arrangement, and 

 geographical distribution of the species. The number of species 

 described is 158, included among 30 genera ; and at the present 

 day these numbers are nearly doubled, and the author is at 

 work on a complete monograph of the group. The variety of 



