MOULDS KEFERKED BY AUTHORS TO FUMAGO. 249 



blance, however, is but external, the whole structure of the 

 supports of the Apothecia and their investing coat being entirely 

 diffigrent, resembling in point of fact that of Pahnella rather 

 than of any fungi. Asterina and 3Ieliola, though provided with 

 an abundant mycelium, have no investing coat to the peridia, 

 though in the latter rigid hairs spring from it. Melanospora, 

 Corda, approaches perliaps the nearest as well in form as in 

 essential structure, the ciliated orifice indicating the threads of 

 which the peridium is either composed or with whicli it is coated, 

 a structure, be it observed, pointed out many years since by one 

 of us in a strictly analogous production in another series, viz., 

 Sphceronema blepharistoma, Berk., and which is indicated also 

 by the fringed orifice of SphcBronema subulatum. Finally, it 

 may be mentioned as a mere matter of analogy that hairs occur 

 amongst Melastomads, bearing a striking resemblance to the 

 perithecia of Capnodium when unbranched. Sometimes they seem 

 to be built up of a central articulated thread, with an exterior 

 coating of cells ; sometimes the interior thread appears to be 

 entirely deficient except at the summit ; but opportunity has 

 been wanting for considering this analogy more minutely. This 

 structure, as far as we can ascertain (after a verj' imperfect in- 

 quiry indeed), has not been noticed before.* It exists in the 

 hairs on the leaves of species of Pleroma, Melastoma, Hetero- 

 trichum, and Heterocentron, and even the delicate hairs on the 

 under surface of leaves of Pleroma heteromalluDi are of a similar 

 though somewhat modified structure. 



The characters of the genus cannot be given better than in 

 the words of Dr. Montague, which are, however, very slightly 

 modified, in consequence of our having had more objects for 

 comparison : — 



Peridium crassiusculum polymorphum, lageniforme clavatum 

 aut ceranoideum, simplex aut ramosum, e duplici stratoforn)atura, 

 exteriori scilicet e mycelii floccis adscendente compacto cellu- 

 loso, cellulis deorsum penta-hexagonis, sursum parallelogrammis 

 linearibusque, floccorum apicibus saepe liberis ciliaribus, interiori 

 mucilagineo subhyalino fere anhisto, apice irregulariter rumpens 

 interdum ore fimbriatum. Nucleus gelatinosus. Sporidia oblonga 

 varie septata fuscescentia ascis late obovoideis vel clavatis mox 

 diffluenti-resorptis inclusa. 



Mycelium superficiale libere evolutum nigrescens e floccis 

 brevibus ramosis moniliformibus aut cylindricis articulatis fuscis 

 dense intricatis compositum. 



Hab. In Australia, America boreali a Provincia Ohiensi ad 



* Except, indeed, the hairs of Melastomads be considered as setae. A 

 similarly constructed seta is figured by Schleiden (Grundziige, vol. i. p. 268), 

 from the stem of Dipsaciis Fullonum. 



