go Transactions British Mycological Society. « 
The specific description is ‘‘Mucrocera coccophila Desmaz. 
Minutissima, subcaespitosa, cornuto-conica, simplex, lateritio- 
rosea, basi membrana tenuissima albida vaginato-connata. 
Sporidiis paucis hyalinis, elongatis, utrinque acutis. Hab., in 
Coccis, Hieme.”’ 
Desmaziéres was so struck by the singular formation and 
habitat of the fungus that he gave a further extended account 
of it. In this he was somewhat unfortunate, as it is chiefly this 
amplification which has led to doubt concerning the identity of 
his species, and to the inclusion in his genus of forms which 
have only little relation to it. The following details are taken 
from his account. 
The fungus occurs at the margin of the scale. It appears first 
as a small horn, sometimes cylindric and obtuse, but most often 
attenuated from the base to a pointed apex. Each scale pro- 
duces from one to three horns, but it is not rare to find scales 
from which arise five or six horns, apparently almost recumbent 
on the stem of the plant and forming a sort of star. The horns 
arise from a narrow stroma which runs beneath the margin of 
the scale, and the growth of this stroma inwards towards the 
centre ultimately forces off the scale and forms a tubercular 
mass which unites the bases of the horns. The horns are di- 
vergent, and scarcely half a millimetre high. Each is at first 
enveloped in a white sheath, very thin and membranous, which 
makes it appear flesh-coloured. This sheath is soon pierced at 
the apex, and the horn emerges in the form of a small cone, of 
a dark rose colour, generally with an acute apex. which is some- 
times curved into a hook. In that state, the persistent sheath, 
at the base of the little fungus, forms, as it were, a closely 
adherent volva, the margin of which is fringed. The horn 
appears fleshy, but is composed, like the sheath, entirely of 
hyaline filaments, almost simple, obscurely septate, very long, 
and scarcely 2:5 broad. The spores occur among these fila- 
ments, few in number, but large, hyaline, fusiform, pointed, 
and arcuate. The longest are about 100 w long, with a breadth 
scarcely double that of the filaments. Frequently, several 
globules, somewhat equally spaced, occupy the central part of 
the spore, but septa have not been clearly distinguished. 
Desmaziéres summarised as follows: ‘‘In the presence of a 
velum or volva, this minute production has, to some extent, 
the nature of a phalloid; in its habitat and fibrillose structure 
it bears some resemblance to the entomogenous Isarias provided 
with superficial basidia; and, finally, by its texture, its fibrils 
or filaments, and the shape of its spores, it is allied to the 
Tuberculariaceae, near Fusarium, and to the genus Ditiola which 
is provided with a membranous, evanescent covering or velum.”’ 
Desmaziéres’ fungus was next described by the Tulasnes, in 
