248 MOULDS REFERRED BY AUTHORS TO FUMAGO. 



tliought best to call them, are sometimes simple, but frequently 

 more or less branched, obtuse, or strongly acuminated, and con- 

 tain rather large delicate asci, which are doubtless, in many 

 cases, absorbed at an early period of growth, for the sporidia are 

 frequently abundant where there is scarcely a trace of asci, and 

 that even before they have arrived at their full growth. In all 

 such cases, as in Lycoperdoiij Scleroderma, &c., there is little 

 doubt that the sporidia are perfected after the delicate sac in 

 which they were at first produced is entirely absorbed. Though 

 necessary for them at an early stage of growth, there is no reason 

 why they should not be absorbed when the sporidia have arrived 

 at such a state as to be capable of increasing in size and develop- 

 ment, as well amongst the general contents of the common peri- 

 dium as in the individual ascus. Perfect fruit has not been 

 found in all the species, and not a trace of true sporidia in the 

 species which we have placed in the third section, though it is 

 undoubtedly propagated by the upper articulations of the threads 

 of the mycelium, which fall off in great abundance. It is indeed 

 possible that some of the species may not contain asci at all, but 

 produce their spores on sporophores, as in the genus Sphaero- 

 nema, for on pressure a cloud of very minute sporelike bodies is 

 given out from the peridia. Should this prove eventually to be 

 the case, the name Polychaeton could be retained for such species, 

 which would form a genus amongst sporophorous fungi exactly 

 parallel to Capnodium amongst the Ascospori. For the present, 

 however, we must consider all as agreeing in essential structure, 

 as indicated by the precise similarity of outward characters. 

 Scorias in which Dr. Montague has observed the asci (fig. 1) 

 differs principally from Capnodium in the gelatinous coat which 

 binds the threads of the mycelium together, which are indeed 

 far more profusely developed ; but a modification of this exists 

 in wliat we have called Capnodium Fuligo. The threads of 

 Tricharia, which resemble in habit and frequently in their 

 place of growth those of Harvey's Microxiphium, certainly 

 have a compound structure, and are probably rather of the 

 nature of perithecia than flocci. Dr. Montague has observed 

 bipartite bodies in them ; and though there is no mycelium, 

 it is possible that the genus may not be far distant from 

 Capnodium, unless indeed the crust be considered as a com- 

 ponent part, which is at least doubtful. Dr. Montague has 

 once seen a body attached to one of the bristle-like processes 

 resembling the fruit of an Helminthosporium ; but he is him- 

 self doubtful whether it may not be extraneous. There is 

 a sort of external resemblance between some Capnodia and 

 Synalyssa, which it may be observed has lately been found 

 in great perfection near Bristol by Mr, Thwaites. The resem- 



