104 MTCETOZOA OF THE SOITXH MIDLANDS. 



winter and- spring. As the winter was mild also, they became 

 veritable forcing-beds for several forms of Mycetozoa. In April, 

 1897, when searching for Mycetozoa at Caddington and Chaul End, 

 on the borders of Beds and Herts, my attention was arrested by some 

 straw heaps on a deserted farm. They were found to be teeming 

 with unusual forms of these organisms. Encouraged by this 

 unexpected success, straw heaps became the objects of special search 

 during the ensuing summer, and they have yielded interesting 

 results. The following are the most noteworthy species thus 

 collected. Unless otherwise stated, the records are original. 



Physarum straminipes, sp. nov. (Lister, * Journ. Bot.,' vol. xxxvi, 

 p. 163). — Fii'st found on the 2nd of May, 1897, on damp straw 

 at Chaul End, near Dunstable ; afterwards by Mr. C. Crouch on 

 dead leaves in a dry ditch at Polluxhill, Beds. 



Physarum didennoides, Host. — Found by Mr. Crouch on a heap of 

 stable manure at Mead Hook Farm, near Polluxhill, in October, 1897. 



P. didennoides, var. lividum, var. nov. (Lister, ' Journ. Bot.,' 

 vol. xxxvi, p. 161). — Discovered in April, 1897, on the same spot 

 as P. straminipes, and afterwards found at Barton, Nether Crawley, 

 and Maiden Common, Beds. 



Physarum vernum, Somm. — Found by the writer and Mr. Crouch 

 on damp straw in the neighbourhood of Luton and Ampthill, Beds, 

 in 1897, being the first British record. Also found by Mr. E. 

 Saunders, at Bedford, in 1898. 



Badhamia ovispora, Eacib. — Discovered by Mr. Edgar Saunders 

 on old straw at Barton, Beds, on the 5th of June, 1897, being the 

 first European record. Afterwards found among straw heaps at 

 Stopsley Common, Beds, and Ivinghoe, Bucks. 



Bidymium Trochus, sp. nov. (Lister, 'Journ. Bot ,' vol. xxxvi, 

 p. 164). — Discovered by Mr. Lister on straw at Chaul End on the 

 6th of May, 1897, and found by the writer in a stack-yard at 

 Barton on the 8th of July, and by Mr. Crouch " on a heap of 

 turnips and haulm " at Kitchen End, near Ampthill. 



In addition to these, Lycngala flavo-fuscum, Host, a very rare 

 species, was detected by Mr. Crouch at the base of a decaying elm- 

 tree at Kitchen End, Beds, in September, 1895, this being the 

 first British record; and Bichcea suhsessilis, Peck., was found by 

 Miss Lister on dead bramble leaves and stems in Flitwick Wood, 

 Beds, on the 8th of September, 1896, being the first European 

 record. Trichia hotrytis, var. mmida, var. nov. (Lister, 'Journ. 

 Bot.,' vol. XXXV, p. 217), found at Pepperstock, Herts, must be 

 credited to 1894. 



The dry periods in 1897 and 1898 have apparently checked the 

 development of the Mycetozoa, for, although there has been no 

 diminution in the assiduity of our searches for these organisms, 

 nothing of special note has rewarded our efforts lately. Up to the 

 present, 1897 may be regarded as a record year for the occurrence 

 of unusual forms of these creatures in the South Midlands. 



