166 BRITISH FUNGI. 



nivent when dry, acute, asci elliptical ; sporidia very minute, hya- 

 line, oblong, simple. — Desm. Ann. Sc. Nat., 2 ser., xix., p. 362. 

 Dub?/, Hist., p. 38. 



On dry coriaceous leaves, as holly, ivy, &c. Epping. 



Perithecia scarcely visible to the naked eye. 



A WORD MORE ON THE "AGUE PLANT." 



By Wm. Archer. 



The appearance of a further notice of the " Ague Plant," so- 

 called, in the preceding number but one of this Journal (No. 21, 

 March, 1874), recalls attention to the former record of it communi- 

 cated by Dr. Bartlett (No. 6, Dec, 1872, p. 95), and it, at the 

 same time, reminds me of the Editor having been so good as to 

 forward me, shortly after that occasion, some specimens of this 

 supposed dreadful form of vegetation, bringing home to me as well 

 the fact that, owing to many and various avocations, I had left 

 over communicating to him the result of an examination, until, 

 indeed, the matter had at last altogether escaped me. 



Meantime I perceive by the number referred to (p. 141) that its 

 identity has since been made out, and quite correctly, as simply 

 Botrydhnn argillacewn (Wallr.), or perhaps better, Hydrogastrum 

 granidatmn (Linn.), Desv. Indeed, on reading over the original 

 account of the " Ague Plant," as given from Dr. Bartlett in this 

 Journal (p. 95, Dec, 1872), I could not but suspect that this was 

 in fact the very plant (though he called it a " fungus") in which 

 Dr. Salisbury believed he had discovered the " malarial essence," 

 though I fancy there are few European observers who would not 

 be disposed to acquit the little Hydrogastrum of being the " cause 

 of the ague." 



Nevertheless I might be excused some little trepidation and mis- 

 giving on opening the little package containing the specimen, all 

 the way from Iowa, fearing that concentrated within might be im- 

 ported a very unwelcome visitant. It was, no doubt, a relief, and 

 I certainly must own to have been quite reassured, even upon a 

 mere inspection by the unaided eye, when I did summon courage 

 to open the little box, to see the poor little Hydrogastrum sure 

 enough, as I had previously conjectured, showing its little withered, 

 depressed, and collapsed rounded fronds, dotted over the surface of 

 the dry mud. With very little compunction I placed a specimen 

 with some water under the microscope, and found it, as indeed the 

 majority of the examples proved to be, in the condition described 

 by Reinsch, of which I gave an extract in this Journal (" Grevillea," 

 No. 7, Jan., 1873, p. 107), following Mr. Parfitt's communication 

 on this plant (1. c, p. 103), that is showing the cell, here making 

 up the whole u plant," densely filled with rounded, rather thick- 



