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sections, xmcler M. Boudier's generic names (omitting Riipnrohiiis and 

 Theothecus not then found in England), Mr. Cooke adopts, and he precedes 

 it with Mr. Berkeley's old definition of Ascoholus, in which " Asci exploded," 

 is the important character. I presume, therefore, that he found M. Boudier's 

 arrangement unmanageable, if not based upon artificial rather than natural 

 distinctions. 



The marked characteristic of the funguses it is my object to describe, 

 is the possession of a strongly-detined ring near the summit of the ascus, 

 formed at an early stage of life by a thickening within of the external wall. 

 This ring is in no way connected with the subsequent dehiscence of the 

 ascus. It does not contract, or dry up, or split so as to constitute the portion 

 of the ascus above it a large operculum. It rather acts at last in opposition 

 to such a manner of rending. Dehiscence takes place transversely to the 

 plane of this ring, and forms a bilabiate above it and down to it. For this 

 reason M. Boudier excludes from his Ascohohi a growth which in all other 

 respects, by asj)ect, by contour, by habitat, by growth, and by enumeration 

 of parts, is one with the leading forms of Riiparohius, and in my view can 

 hardly be separated far from them without neglecting the principles of 

 natural arrangement. I prefer, therefore, to think of the plants I describe 

 rather as a section of Ascoholus, which I would mainly found upon "exploding 

 asci," than as constituting 'with reason a new genus. The ripe asci are in 

 general strongly prominent, a.s much so as in Saccoholus and Ascopliaims. 

 I have often found empty cups by no means in a condition of extreme decay, 

 which seemed to me only to be accounted for by a power of ejecting asci. I 

 do not think it would be advisable to admit into Pczim or Helotium, which 

 have only an eight-spored ascus, species having multisporous asci. I propose 

 then to form a sixth section of Ascoholus under the title of Ascozonvs. 



The formation of the zonal stripe upon the ascus of these Asroholi,- 

 a point which distinguishes them so definitely from the members of all other 

 sections, can be well made out. I have been able in more than one of my 

 species to trace its creation quite satisfactorily. In ttie earliest condition of 

 the ascus, up to about half -growth, the contents are nearly uniform, or 

 present only faint spherical outlines of various sizes sparsely and irregularly 

 placed within the uniformly thin waHs. At this time the contents begin to 

 differentiate. Large globular granulations collect along and about the axis of 

 the ascus, surrounded by a homogeneous stratum which extends to the general 

 wall. This central granular mass pushes out near its tip horizontally a lens- 

 shaped extension till it touches the wall near the widest part. Here for a while 

 it seetns to solder to the wall, spreading slightly above and below the first fine 

 circular line of contact. At this line a thickening now takes place upon the 

 wall, and is soon seen to have a semicircular section projecting inwards. The 

 central globules now contract, the lentiform portion quits the wall, and leaves the 

 thickened line as a ring. They soon redissolve, and the tolerably uniform mass 

 presently begins to differentiate anew into spores, which enlarge, thicken in sub- 



