Sand-Dttnc Fungi. H. J. Wheldon. 145 



or "dune slack" extending for several miles parallel with the 

 sea. It is apparently in a transitional stage to a fixed dune 

 association, being more stable and richer in humus. It is 

 carpeted with many rare byrophytes amongst which occur 

 here and there several species of Car ex, Erythraea, J uncus and 

 some grasses, such as Agrosiis vulgaris. The old Brya capsules 

 become infested with Phoma muscicola A. L. Sm., and the 

 carpet of mosses is broken by extensive greyish white patches of 

 the lichen Arthopyrenia areniseda A. L. Sm., this being the 

 original station in which Mr. J. A. Wheldon found both these 

 species. Here occur troops of the very interesting discomy- 

 cetes Cyathipodia corium (Wcberb.) Boud., Galactinia hrunneo- 

 atra (Desm.) Bond., Pseudoplectania nigrella (Pers.) Fck. and 

 Ciliaria trecJiispora var. paludicola Boud., and it is not unusual 

 to find great numbers of these four growing in close proximity, 

 sustenance and moisture for them being maintained by the 

 mosses, hcpatics and algae amongst which they grow. SepuUaria 

 arenicola (Lev.) Mass., which is plentiful here, is entirely buried 

 in the sand whilst young and spherical, and it is not until the 

 cup commences to open, its margin throwing back the covering 

 sand, that the presence of the fungus is apparent. At first 

 glance it conveys the idea of holes made by a walking stick or 

 umbrella. These remarks also apply to the rather larger 

 SepuUaria sepuUa (Fr.) Mass., although the disk of this becomes 

 more exposed than in 5. arenicola. With both these species 

 there is usually a large mass of mycelial threads binding together 

 a large ball of sand, and in many cases they do not appear to 

 depend upon other plants for nutrition, but occasionally when 

 near Ammophila the mycelium has been found attached firmly 

 to its roots ; probably also they find sustenance in the numerous 

 decaying underground stems and buried decomposing leaves 

 of dwarf willow [Salix repens), or even from decaying nostoc, 

 diatoms, etc., which abound in the damp sand. Dr. Ellis 

 records Melanospora zobelii (Corda) Fck. on 5. arenicola, and 

 on this and 5. sepulta there frequently appears another species, 

 Sphaeroderma sepidtariae Wheldon. Here in the spring Gyro- 

 mitra esculenta sometimes appears in confined areas in troops 

 or singly, and later in the year Inocyhe rimosa and Psilocybe 

 ammophila are frequent, the latter principally after rain in 

 summer. The mycelial threads of these can be traced to the 

 Ammophila. Geaster striatus DC. and Geaster Bryantii Berk, 

 occur here occasionally, and on the Wallasey coast Higgins 

 recorded Battarrea phalloides Pers. as growing on a bare sandy 

 bank, but neither the late Dr. Ellis nor I have met with this 

 treasure. It is a striking fact that there is a great preponder- 

 ance of brown spored fungi on the open dunes principally 



