42 Transaclions British Mycological Society. 



careful drawing of the spore is therefore of considerable 

 taxonomic value. 



Amongst other valuable data given by Lange, he points 

 out that several species of Mycenae have two spored basidia ; 

 for instance Mycena galericulata, lactea, gypsea, Adonis, 

 filipes, and many others. 



1 have not been able to confirm many of these yet, but I 

 have no doubt that we could add considerably to the list. 

 For instance, what I believe is generally accepted as Mycena 

 metata has 2-spored basidia. In this connection I came 

 across an interesting note among some delightful coloured 

 sketches of Mycenae made by Miss Ivy Massee. The note 

 was written by the late Mr. George Massee in his own 

 characteristic handwriting and referred to a specimen of 

 Mvcena named by Berkeley as metata which had 2-spored 

 basidia. Lange gives 4-spored basidia to this species, but 

 says that a 2-spored form had been met with in some 

 cases. He also mentions ^that he found one specimen of 

 Mycena rorida with two spored basidia; the specimens of 

 this species which I have examined have all had two spored 

 basidia, which brings me to the question whether this feature 

 is a sufficiently stable one to justify its use for the purpose 

 of identifying or helping towards the identification of a 

 species. We know that in some sections of the Hymeno- 

 mycetes, the character of the basidium is very unstable. 

 The resupinates are remarkable in this respect, as Miss 

 Wakefield has shewn us in her descriptions of British species 

 and Bourdot & Galzin in their splendid contributions to the 

 transactions of the French Mycological .Society. 



Mr. Rea has told me that he knows of no paper shewing 

 that species of 2-sterigmata have continued through a 

 succession of pure cultivations in producing two sterigmata 

 only, and that four sterigmata species do not occasionally 

 deteriorate or progress to this condition. I do not quite 

 appreciate his view of the need for pure culture experiments 

 in a matter of this kind.* My own experience, however, 

 partly confirms his healthy scepticism. I have in fact 

 observed that certain species are found sometimes with two, 

 sometimes with four sterigmata. Naiicoria semi-orhicularis 

 is of this type; so is Galera hypnorum. I am a little doubt- 

 ful, even, about Mycena galericulata. Patouillard gives a 

 sketch of the two spored basidia of Mycena galericulata 



* Curious changes may take place under cultivation which are an unreliable 

 guide to what happens in nature. A case in point is the cultivated mushroom, 

 that tasteless product of richly manured soil in dark cellars. This is supposed 

 to be a variety of the field mushroom (Psaliota campestris (Linn.) Fr.). The 

 latter has normal quadrisporous basidia, but the cultivated variety (var. hortensis) 

 usually has basidia with two sterigmata only. 



