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detennined Prof. P. A. Karsten, however, has met with this Hypoiayces in 

 Finland, upon various species of Lactarii, and it is highly probable that, in the 

 course of time, this observation will be confirmed in this country. More com- 

 monly, however, these parasites attack fungi which have attained, or even passed 

 their maturity, as H. chrysospermus, aurantius, rosellus, &c. Some grow upon 

 the Eeshy Agarichii and Boleti, others upon the tough, coriaceous Polyporei and 

 Sterei, while two species affect such ephemeral hosts as the Myxmuycetcs afford. 

 But perhaps the most remarkable species grows, not upon the fungus itself, but 

 upon the ground under or near where it has decayed, this decay being the result 

 of the growth of an earlier stage of the Hypomyccs. In other words the Hypomyccs, 

 in its conidial stages, first attacks the host fungus, and by causing its decay, 

 generites the pabulum necessary for the nourishment and perfection of the higher 

 foni of fructification (ascigerous) of the Hypomyces, which is found a in stroma 

 developed on the ground. 



The genus Hypomyces, however, is interesting, not only from its fungicolous 

 iabit, but also from the numerous phases of existence through which many of its 

 members pass. In the highest condition under which we meet with it, it is 

 ascigerous, and belongs to the large order Sphceriocei, inasmuch as it has its 

 sporidia enclosed in asci, and its asci enclosed in perforate perithecia. The peri- 

 thecia are membranous, coloured often brightly, pierced at the apex by minute 

 ostiola, and are, as a rule, seated upon a web of floccose mycelium, which is 

 tolerably permanent, and has usually the same colour as the perithecia. The asci 

 are, as a rule, octosporous, and take the form of an elongated cylinder. The 

 sporidia are of two types, (1) either rather large, fusiform, normally uniseptate, 

 and produced at either extremity into an acute point, or pointed appendage ; or 

 (2) they are small, oval, with blunt extremities, and, as a rule, uniseptate. 



The second form of fructification consists of Macroconidia or Chlamydospores. 

 These are large spores, having usually a thick, often echinulate or verrucose 

 epispore, frequently globose, brightly coloured, and very abundant. 



The third form of fructification, the Microconidia, or Conidia proper, are, 

 on the contrary, small hyaline spores, often extremely abundant, born singly upon 

 the tips of hyaline tubes, or concatenately. Many of them have been described 

 as autonomous species of Muccdcnes, under the genera Botrytis, Vcrticillium, 

 Dactylium, &c. 



All three states of every Hypomyccs have not as yet been observed, either in 

 this country or elsewhere. As a rule, the ascigerous condition is the least 

 frequently encountered, but this is by no means always the case ; perhaps, upon 

 the whole, the microconidia are the most abundantly diffused. 



M. Tulasne mentions two species of Hypomyces which have been found in 

 this country, but which cannot, I think, be fairly included in this genus, as it is at 

 present limited, viz. : — 



Hypomyces miliarius and H. tuberosus. Both of these species have this in 

 common, that they, while growing parasitically upon other fungi, develope 

 sclerotia. They were both pointed out by M. Max Comu, at Hereford. 



