132 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



Growing on old leaves, moss, etc., in early Spring. Sporan- 

 gium .3-. 5 mm. in diameter, the stipe from once to twice as 

 long. This is Lamproderma irideurji of Massee's Monograph. 

 I am indebted to Arthur Lister, Esq., of London, for the 

 identification of my specimens with Stermonitis sdntillans, 

 B. & Br., and with Laviproacnna irideum, Cke. 



in. COMATRICHA, Preuss. Sporangia various in shape, 

 from globose or ovoid to oblong and cylindric, stipitate ; the 

 wall very thin and fugacious. Stipe more or less elongated, 

 smooth and black, arising from a common hypothallus, taper- 

 ing upward, entering the sporangium and prolonged nearly 

 or quite to the apex as a columella. Capillitium arising from 

 numerous points of the columella throughout * its entire 

 length; the threads immediately branching and anastomosing 

 to form an interior network, attaining the wall by numerous 

 more or less elongated free extremities. Spores globose, 

 brown or violaceous. 



This genus is not sharply limited from Stemonitis. The 

 species with very short free ends, and consequently with 

 superficial meshes approximate to the wall, are near the form 

 of vStemonitis. But it may be observed that in these species, 

 the meshes of the capillitium become smaller gradually out- 

 ward, the sides of the superficial meshes are arched away 

 from the wall, and they are in contact with it only by the free 

 extremities. 



§1. TvPHOiDES. Threads of the capillitium repeatedly 

 branching and anastomosing, to form a dense network of 

 small meshes, with innumerable short, free extremities. 



I. CoM.\TRiCHA TVPiiiN.v, Roth. Sporangia .short, erect or 

 a little curved, cylindric or usually narrowing slightly 

 upward, the base quite blunt, the apex more rounded, grow- 

 ing together on a thin hypothallus. vStipe and columella 

 brown or blackish, tapering upward and vanishing near the 

 apex of the sporangium, the stipe much shorter than the 

 columella. Capillitium of slender flexuous tawnj'-brown 

 threads; these branch repeatedly, forming an intricate net- 

 work of small irregular meshes, ending in very short free 



