THK VIOTORIAN NATURALIST. 57 



and frequently branch, so that when we see them pushing their 

 way beneath the surface of the ground they have the appearance 

 of roots. But, besides being under the ground, the strands unite 

 together into thick masses and form the stems and caps of 

 mushrooms and the so-called toadstools. But there is a third 

 structure found among fungi. In this case De Barry says : — " The 

 name sclerotium has been given to certain thick tuber-like bodies 

 formed on the primary filamentous mycelium, which proceeds 

 from the germinating spore ; these, which are storehouses of 

 reserve material, become detached from the mycelium when their 

 development is complete, and usually remain dormant for a 

 considerable time, and ultimately expend their reserve material in 

 the production of shoots, which develop into sporophores." 



As an instance of this we might notice a curious and well- 

 known sclerotium termed Ergot (Clavaceps purpurea). The 

 spores of this plant adhere to the seed of rye and other cereals. 

 As the rye plant grows upward the spore sends out hyphae, which 

 enter into and grow upward through the stem, and when the 

 flower of the rye is formed the hypha enters into the young ovary, 

 where it receives all the food which the plant prepares for the 

 young seed. The hypha does not elongate any more, but grows 

 into a solid mass known as a sclerotium. In appearance the 

 sclerotium or ergot is like a long black egg, somewhat pointed 

 at both ends, and from ^^ to ^ of an inch in length. The ergot 

 falls in the harvest and lies dormant in the ground all the winter. 

 In spring, however, it becomes very much alive, and it gives out 

 a number of shoots from its surface. Each of these shoots swells 

 out at the top and forms a globular head which contains a great 

 number of bags each filled with eight spores. These bags are 

 termed asci, and all the fungi bearing asci are placed in a great 

 division termed Ascomycetes. 



Turning now to Cooke's " Handbook of Australian Fungi," 

 under the head of Ascomycetese : — " Fruit consisting of sporidia, 

 contained in asci springing from a naked or enclosed stratum of 

 fructifying cells," and in this division he places, under the head 

 of " Genera doubtful," " Genus 3. Mylitta. — Tuber hard, 

 externally mealy, internally firm, veined or spotted, at length 

 somewhat hollow. Fructification obscure ;" and, finally, he gives 

 the species thus : — " Mylitta avstralis. — Globose, 73^ to 10 

 cm. diani., firm, cortex unequal, blackish, and covered with 

 warts ; gleba solid, yellowish, reticulated with whitish veins, 

 seemingly alveolate. Spores unknown." 



The only knowledge of Mylitta atistralis which we obtain 

 from either De Barry (1887) or Cooke (1892) is that they may be 

 of the same kind as the sclerotia of Ergot of Rye — that is, the 

 Ascomycetese. 



About the year 1884 I received a large sackful of Mylitta 



