332 Transactions British Mycological Society. 



A section through one of the galls shows that a fungus is pre- 

 sent and the general characters of this, with its large brown 

 spores, evanescent mycelium and intercellular development, 

 indicate that it is a member of the Ustilagineae. 



As is well known the most important feature distinguishing 

 the two groups into which this family is divided consists in 

 their mode of spore germination. In the Ustilaginaceae the 

 promycelium is divided by septa and the conidia are borne 

 laterally whilst in the Tilletiaceae the conidia arise in a terminal 

 whorl from the apex of the promycelium. 



Unfortunately all attempts to bring about the germination 

 of the spores of the present fungus in hanging drops have been 

 unsuccessful so that dependence must be placed on other char- 

 acters to determine whether the organism falls within the Usti- 

 laginaceae or the Tilletiaceae. 



It has been pointed out by Lutman (1910) in his paper on 

 the "Life History and Cytology of the Smuts" that the two 

 groups contrast with one another in the development of their 

 haustoria. "The Ustilagos apparently get sufficient nourish- 

 ment from their host plants by occupying intercellular spaces 

 and perhaps by occasionally passing through a host cell. The 

 smuts of the Tilletia group on the other hand have well de- 

 veloped haustoria in three species at least." 



This character is by no means of universal application as 

 several species of Ustilago, such for instance as U. Vaillantii 

 Tul. described by Miss Massee (1914), have very well developed 

 haustoria but taken together with the general features in the 

 appearance and life-history of the fungus it lends weight to the 

 view that the present fungus falls within the group of the 

 Tilletiaceae. 



Of the twelve genera of this group it appears to agree most 

 nearly with Melanotaenium. The fact that the spores are simple 

 and not bound together in balls and that they never lie loose 

 upon the exterior of the plant but only reach the surface by 

 the decay of the tissues of the host plant limits the number of 

 genera to which the fungus may be relegated to three, viz. 

 Schinzia, Entyloma, and Melanotaenium. 



In Schinzia (=Entorrhiza, Weber), which is a root parasite, the 

 spores are pale to yellow-brown in colour with a membrane which 

 is rough through the development of wart-like outgrowths. In 

 the fungus at present under consideration the spores are dark 

 brown and quite smooth. It is moreover not strictly a root para- 

 site but appears (so far as the available material allows one to 

 judge) to restrict its attacks to the subterranean stems and leaves. 



In Entyloma and Melanotaenium spore development and ger- 

 mination are very similar, the principal difference consisting in 



