THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 129 



shape ; some are quite simple, but others are branched like a 

 small shrub ; they have no distinct stem. Except that the plants 

 or branches swell out like clubs they have no particular shape, 

 although many species retain their own particular system of 

 branching. The hymenium is spread in a continuous web closely 

 investing the whole of the branches; it is dry and homogeneous — 

 that is, of the same nature as the rest of the plant. The substance 

 of the Clavaria is generally firm, often tough. These plants are 

 found in pastures, in woods, amongst grass, amongst moss, on 

 sandy ground, amongst leaves, and on the ground generally; in 

 fact, Dr. Cooke only mentions one Victorian species which grows on 

 rotten wood. This fact shows in striking contrast with the genus 

 Calocera, all species of which are parasite, and are always found 

 growing on rotten wood, or on damp, partly decayed logs. 



Tremella differ very much from Clavaria. They may be seen in 

 almost any damp gully growing like lumps of jelly on decaying 

 logs. The whole plant is tremulous and gelatinous, with the 

 exception of the nucleus. Its form is almost brain-like, and it 

 has the property of reviving when thoroughly moistened, although 

 previously shrivelled and dry. Its jelly-like substance is pervaded 

 internally with branched filaments, which terminate towards the 

 surface in basidia ; thus the whole surface is invested with the 

 hymenium, which never rises into papillae. The genus Calocera 

 (the name is derived from kalos, beautiful, and keras, a horn), 

 although it is placed in the sub-order Clavaria, partakes very 

 much of the characters found in both the Clavaria and the 

 Tremellineae. 



We may now return to our specimens, which were discovered 

 growing on the under side of a decayed log in one of the dampest 

 parts of the gully. I may remark that I found this species near 

 Walhalla, about fifceen years ago, with exactly similar surroundings. 

 But although I made a rough drawing of it I never described it 

 and I have never been able to find a specimen since. The 

 specimens obtained in Sassafras Gully varied very much in size. 

 One very fine specimen measured four inches, whilst the shortest 

 was barely two inches. The first mentioned had a distinct stem 

 nearly one inch in height and two lines through ; it was cylindrical, 

 but thickened towards the upper part. From the broad apex of 

 this trunk arose four vertical branches. These branches, like the 

 trunk, each widened towards the top, and from each broad 

 top a further furcation ensued by the development of four more 

 vertical branches. This peculiar branching was again repeated, 

 so that this plant was altogether four times furcate. This process 

 of furcation obtains amongst many of the Clavarise, but only in an 

 irregular manner, whereas in our plants this process is remarkably 

 regular. All the branches are of a cylindrical shape — that is, if I 

 can use the word cylindrical to a shape that increases towards 



