CURREY, ON FUNGI. 131 



figured by Corda in liis ' Icones Fungorum/ vol. vi, taf. 

 11, fig. 37 ; but Corda states that the markings in the 

 Lycogala are caused by wrinkles in the membrane, which is 

 not the case in the present plant. It has occurred to me 

 that tliis fungus may be a true species of Trichia, in which 

 the development of the capillitium has been arrested. I 

 have not had an opportunity of tracing the growth of the 

 spiral threads of the Trichise from the state of mucilage in 

 which the plants originate ; but in Didymium, I have 

 observed that the commencement of the formation of the 

 capillitium regularly takes place by the drawing out of the 

 mucilage into threads, which threads at first are always 

 expanded at moderate distances into broad membranous 

 spaces precisely similar in form to those in fig. 44 ; and if 

 the subsequent growth were stopped at that period, the 

 capillitium in Didymium would exactly resemble in form 

 (although not in colour or marking) that of the above plant. 



Trichia ? — Glen Alia, near Lough Swilly, County Donegal, 

 Ireland. 



This is another doubtful species, for which, as for many 

 other interesting objects of natural history, I am indebted to 

 Miss Wilcox, of Tenby. The peridia are sessile, crowded, 

 subglobose, and of a dull brownish-yellow colour, looking 

 like very small stunted specimens of Trichia chrysosjierma. 

 The peculiarity of the plant consists in the total absence of 

 capillitium or elaters. The spores are small and subglobose, 

 forming a dull yellow dust in the interior of the peridia. It 

 might be a question, whether the absence of the internal 

 threads would justify its separation from Trichia, Fries, 

 who treats the elaters as secondary appendages of no impor- 

 tance, would probably say not. At all events no such separa- 

 tion could be made upon the faith of the one small specimen 

 in my possession, in which the growth of the capillitium may 

 from some unknoAvn cause have been suppressed. 



Ophiotlieca chrysosperma. — Under this name I described 

 a new fungus in vol. ii of this Journal, and stated the 

 points of distinction between it and the genus Arcyi'ia, one 

 " of which was the existence of a capillitium consisting of two 

 kinds of threads. Since that paper was published, I have 

 found at Sketty, near Swansea, a very minute Arcyria, not 

 belonging to any of the British species hitherto described, 

 and which exhibits a double capillitium of a precisely similar 

 kind. This reduces the difference between Ophiotlieca and 

 Arcyria to the single point of the shape and dehiscence of 

 the pcridium, and whether this would be sufficient to keep 

 the genera apart, I must leave for others to determine. 



