46 Transactions British Mycological Society. 



Mr. Rea has pointed out that no mention has been made 

 of Rene Mai re's " Recherches Cytologiques & Taxonomiques 

 sur les Basidiomvcetes," pubhshed in 1902. This is an 

 omission that should certainly be rectified, and on again 

 looking through this masterly work, I find several interest- 

 ing points bearing on the matters dealt with in the foregoing 

 paper. Maire proposes a new classification of Basidio- 

 mvcetes based on the more intimate characters of the cell : 

 on the transverse or vertical position of the kariokinetic 

 spindle. Such studies are beyond the reach of ordinary 

 busv mortals like myself and are hardly likely to form an 

 acceptable basis for classification. 



Maire creates a new genus, the outstanding feature of 

 which is that the basidia are uniformly bisporus. 

 Hvgrophorus conicus, and Hygrophorus ceraceus are trans- 

 formed into Godfrinia conica (Scop.) R. Maire, and 

 Godfrinia ceracea (Wulf.) R. Maire. Thus we are shewn 

 another group of Agarics where this phenomenon asserts 

 itself. 



Maire also studied Mycena gaJericulata, and compares his 

 observations to those recorded by Wager in 1894, but the 

 Mvcena galericulata described by Maire has 4-sterigmata, 

 and we are left wondering whether this is the same species 

 as studied by Wager. 



As I have touched upon Schroeter's new genus 

 ClavuUna, I ought to mention that according to R. Maire's 

 observations, it would appear that the basidia in Clavaria 

 rugosa are not uniformlv bisporous. Maire whites : 



" Le nombre de sterigmates est typiquement de quatre, 

 mais ce cas se trouve rarement realise et la plupart des 

 basides ont deux sterigmates, d'autres trois, d'autres un 

 seul." 



I should have said that under the circumstances the basidia 

 are tvpicallv but not uniformly two-spored. Presumably 

 Maire adopts the view that the perfect or typical basidium 

 has four sterigmata and that it is in the nature of things that 

 all basidia should strive after perfection which some fail to 

 attain. 



Another work which everv student of the Agarics should 

 consult is the Prodrome d'une Histoire Naiurelle des Agari- 

 cines bv V. Favod, which was published in the Annales des 

 Sciences Xaturelles, 1889. He points out that basidia with 

 two sterigmata are rare, but they are a characteristic feature 

 of Hvgrophorus agathosmiis, Hygrophorus coniciis, Mycena 

 tenerrima, Tub aria conspersa and PhoJiota togularis. 



