66 J. SATJNDEES NOTES ON THE MYCETOZOA, 



diverse habits. Some pass their time in the interior of rotten 

 wood, and apparently do not come to the surface until ready for 

 the fruiting stage. Others, on the contrary, affect the exterior of 

 decayed branches and logs, and are hence the most easily found. 



The following observations, made in the South Midlands, will 

 give some idea of the phenomena attending the plasmodium stage. 



On one occasion, the writer was examining a decayed tree-root 

 quite a foot in diameter, in a wood near Harpenden. In the very 

 centre the woody fibres were saturated with plasmodium, which, 

 when matured, proved to be that of Hemiarcyria clavata. Some 

 of the Eadhamias prefer the oiitside of rotten logs and branches. 

 In a wood in Flamstead parish the plasmodium of Badhamia 

 utricularis has been seen spread out on the upper side of a fallen 

 tree, but this was in a veiy wet autumn. Quite recently, in the 

 same place, this species was found creeping between the bark and 

 the wood, but the season was much drier. During the year 1893 

 Mr. C. Crouch, of Kitchen End, near Luton, had two masses of 

 Plasmodium of B. utricularis, which were attached to an old log 

 under some shrubs in his garden. These were under observation 

 during the spring, summer, and early autumn. They repeatedly 

 moved their position, and eventually, after seven or eight months 

 existence in this condition, formed their sporangia. 



Badhamia nitens is usually found, in the rare localities in which 

 it occurs, on the under side of decayed branches, especially those 

 of oak. It has the curious habit of concealing itself fi'om view 

 a day or two before its final emergence for fruiting, at least it 

 has done so when it has been under our observation, and it 

 repeated the habit when some of it was sent to Mr. A. 

 Lister. The following extracts from his letters will illustrate 

 this statement. "The plasmodium has, I fear, died." — 12th 

 Peb. 1893. "The plasmodium died and came to nothing." — 15th 

 Peb. 1893. "I am delighted to say that I was quite wrong in 

 thinking that the last batch of plasmodium which you sent was 

 dead ; it had crept off and hidden itself for a day or two, leaving 

 a good deal of refuse matter behind it. Yesterday we saw that 

 it was turning into fruit, so exactly the usual shape of B. utricularis 

 that we feared it was nothing but that species, but this morning 

 the mature condition and yellow colour have been obtained, and it 

 forms the most magnificent example of B. nitens which we have 

 ever seen." — 19th Peb. 1893. Subsequently to this some plas- 

 modium of the same species was sent to Mr. H. Groves, of London, 

 who, under date 11th Jan. 1894, writes: "Thank you very 

 much for the plasmodium which you so kindly sent to me. It 

 showed [circulation] beautifully with half -inch object-glass and 

 dark-ground illumination, and it is really a most curious thing. I 

 have put it in a fern-case, but I do not know where to look for 

 it again." My impression is that as it is a winter-fruiting species, 

 it had crept out of sight preparatory to assuming that stage. The 

 two local stations for this species are Caddington, Beds, and 

 Zouches Farm, near Kensworth, Herts, in both of which places the 



