147 



distinct, it is probable that the structureless condition is secondary 

 and due to more destructive changes than those which took place 

 elsewhere. One may therefore assume that the whole of the 

 matrix represents a gelatinous Alga. 



The fungus consists of septate hyphae, which are usually 

 slender, colourless, yellow, or brown, and often collapsed in the 

 interior of the specimen, but much coarser and brownish or black 

 near the surface, where they sometimes show distinctive 

 characters. Mr. G. Massee, F.L.S., kindly examined some prepara- 

 tions in which the fungus was specially well shown, and found 

 that it agreed closely with C ladosporium in its type of structure, 

 viz., in producing microsclerotia and storage-cysts. The latter are 

 very similar to those illustrated by him in Fig. 4 of the plate 

 accompanying his article* on " Gummosis of Primus japonica, 

 Thunb." The fungus may have grown in the mucilage after the 

 death of the Alga, or it may have been associated with the livin- 

 Alua ; in the second case the two organisms together would be 

 described as a gelatinous lichen. 



A few words may be added on the subject of the other bodies 

 includ. I in the matrix. Probably many different species of 

 diatoms are present, as would be seen by collecting them from a 

 fair-sized specimen of the substance. But it was not found 

 possible to clean the diatoms satisfactorily either by burning or 

 by the nitric acid and chlorate of potash method ; consequently 

 they had to be examined in thin sections of N'hangellite mounted 

 . in balsam or cresol, and this was not specially favourable for 

 showing their more minute characters. Some preparations were 



following forms 



West 



, Mastogloia sp., 

 Gampylodiscus sp., and Cocconema sp. The diatoms are scattered 

 through the thickness of the specimens, and are in some cases 

 fragmentary, but sometimes the frustules are intact, and may 

 contain two greenish-brown masses apparently representing the 

 contracted or disintegrated cell-contents. The sponge-spicules are 

 very few and quite fragmentary. Mr. R. Kirkpatrick kindly 

 examined one of the fragments, and found, as was to be expected, 

 that it was impossible to identify it. The pollen-grains and spores 

 found in one specimen were embedded close to the upper surface, 

 and also in the interior. The fungus grew (or possibly only com- 

 pleted its growth) on the gelatinous Alga after it had become 

 exposed by the subsidence of the water. This is proved by the 

 fact that the special characters, shown by the fungal hyphae at 

 the surface of the specimen, are also to be seen in the bounding 

 surface of cracks, which are evidently due to drying. It is not 

 possible to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to w r hether the 

 Alga grew or collected at the bottom, or floated at the surface of 

 the water.f 



A substance of a somewhat similar appearance to N'hangellite, 



_ ~— ^ mm m * ^ 



showing a similar mode of occurrence, and also described as an 



* Kew Bulletin, 1898. p. 321. 



chemical 



report on a sample of N'hangellite which forms the subject of the next article 

 the present number of the Bullet in. — [Ed.] 



28065 



A2 



