BY R. T. BAKER. 543 



from Mr. A. O. Black, who procured it from Jerula, Black 

 Springs, Lithgow. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately as 

 results proved, it had been cut in halves. After keeping it in 

 the herbarium for a week without moisture, the exposed septa of 

 one half began to throw out innumerable hyphae which eventually 

 covered the whole surface, those of the other half remaining 

 quiescent during this period. 



At the end of seven days portion of the hyphse appeared to gravi- 

 tate towards one end of tlie edge and to accumulate into a mass 

 which assumed a pufF-ball shape, and four days later developed 

 a pileus, the upper surface of which was at first of an orange- 

 brown colour in the centre with a mauve band of four lines 

 broad slightly removed from the edge, the under surface showing 

 the pores of a Polyporus. It gradually grew till it attained a 

 diameter of 3 inches, when it began to harden and eventually 

 lost its colour. As the process of induration proceeded, the 

 edges gradually recurved, and eventually in its final stage the 

 whole much resembled P. ovinus, Schseff. The pores were 

 characteristic of the genus, but unfortunately no spores were 

 detected. 



The second half was then taken in hand and placed on soil 

 and kept moist. The hyphse soon became active, and at the end 

 of a week the whole surface of the gelatinous cells exposed in the 

 section was covered with a perfectly white mass of mycelium. 

 The convex side was then buried in soil, except a small part of 

 one end which showed signs of fructification, and well watered. 

 From the exposed end protuberances began to form, and eventu- 

 ally three developed, the largest being a fine specimen 

 measuring over 4 inches in diameter and with exactly the same 

 markings and colour as the first obtained and described above, 

 and like it resembling a poached egg in colour and form when 

 viewed from above. The stipes was, however, more fan-shaped 

 than in the previous specimen. The hyphse next developed into 

 a thick, porous, foamy mass covering almost the whole surface 

 and eventually spreading over and into the adjacent soil opposite 

 to the exposed end. Two small, cup-shaped specimens were the 



