Merulius.] FUNGI. 129 



Herb. — Pileus 1 inch broad ; zones obsolete, hirsuto-tomentose. Nearly 

 allied to the foregoing species. 



3. M. Idchrymans^ Wulf. {dry-rot) ; effused large yellow- 

 ferruginous or deep orange, margin white tomentose, folds 

 large poroso-sinuate. Fr. Syst. Myc.v. 1./?. 328. Grev. FL 

 Ed. p. 397. FL Dan, t. 2026. — Boletus lachrymans, Wulf. in 

 Jacq. 3Iisc, v. 2. ;^. 111. t. 8. /. 2. Bolt. t. 167. f. 1. Sow. 

 <. 113. With. V. 4. p. 286. Part. Midi. FL v, 3. n. 1488.— J?. 

 arboreus, Soiv. t. 346. — Mer. destruens, Pers. Sy7i. p. 496. 



On the inside of vvainscotting, where there is not a free circulation 

 of air, in hollow trunks, beams, ship-timber, &c. all the year. Too 

 common. — " Whole plant generally resupinate, soft, tender, at first 

 very light, cottony and white. When the veins appear, they are of a 

 fine yellow-orange or reddish-brown, forming irregular folds, most fre- 

 quently so arranged as to have the appearance of pores, b«it never any 

 thing like tubes, and distilling, when perfect, drops of water. Some- 

 times the pileus or substance of the plant, from its situation, produces 

 pendent processes like inverted cones." Grev. I. c. — 1 — 8 inches broad. 

 Sporides ferruginous. The only certain preventives of this dreadful 

 pest seem to be free circulation of air and impregnation of the wood 

 with a strong solution of corrosive sublimate. It is not improbable that 

 white of egg may in some cases answer the same purpose. See a very 

 curious article in the new series o( Annalcs des Sciences Naturelles, 

 V. 1 . p. 30, by Dutrochet on the origin of Moulds. 



4. 3/. pulverulenfuSj Sow. (pulverulent DIeridius) ; very broad 

 soon separating at the margin, above velvety gradually perish- 

 ing in the centre, hymeniuni zoned, folds marginal subreticu- 

 late. Fr. EL v. I. p. 60. Purt. MSS. — Auriculciria pulveru- 

 lenta, Sow. t. 214. — Coniophora membranacca, j3. leiopluea, Pers. 

 JMyc. Eur. V. \.p. 153. — Byssus scptica, var. 3. pulverulenta, 

 Purt. Midi. FL V. 2. p. 608. 



On moist walls ; all the 3ear. Ashhill, Norfolk, on Fir-Beams in a 

 wall ; the original specimens show that they were white-waohed. — 

 Forming membranaceous, orbicular, often conHuent patches, a foot or 

 more broad, soon separating all round from the substance on which they 

 grow, e(jual, even, soft, drv, composed of tender mucedinous down; 

 velvety and pale above. Hymcuium zoned, variegated, various in 

 colour, but towards the circumference ferruginous from the spornles. 

 The greater part of the surface is smooth and barren, but here and 

 there, especially towanis the margin, roticulato-poriform folds are dis- 

 cernible, showing its pro[)er place to be in the present genus. The 

 older fcilds collapse and at length decay. The above admirable descrip- 

 tion is taken from the Elcnc/ius of I-'ries, by whom fn ^t the species ;ij)- 

 pears to have been rightly iniderstooil. In imperfect or ill-tlevelopcd 

 specimens, the true nature of the |)lant is scarcely discernible. Sow- 

 crby's plant, of which a portion is now before me, seems to have been 

 gathered in an unfavourable state, but he aj)|)ears, fiou) the short l)ut 

 accurate account which accompanies his figure, to have had >on)c .sus- 

 picion of its affinity with jMrriilins Inrhn/nuins, though this i>. bart ly 

 cxpresseil. Sjjcciniens marked by Klotzsch in Dr. IIooktrN Hci ba- 

 rium, appear to be in even a njorc highly developed itato thini those 



K 



