290 Transactions British Mycological Society. 
From the fructifications examined the following general 
description was obtained: 
The stipe was from 2 to 5 mm. long, pale brown in colour; 
the receptacle was 3 to g mm. in diameter when fully expanded, 
at length plane or even slightly convex and lobed by the 
splitting of the margin, pale brown at the edge but darker 
towards the centre. 
On teasing out the hymenium the asci could be found in 
various stages of development. In some the ascospores were 
not defined while in those in which the spores were fully formed 
three stages could be distinguished, viz. (1) asci in which the 
eight spores extended from the apex to half-way or more down 
the ascus, the spores being surrounded by protoplasm which 
extended without vacuoles to the base of the ascus, (2) those 
in which several vacuoles were present while the spores were 
pushed nearer the apex so that they extended barely to the 
middle of the ascus, (3) asci with a single large vacuole extending 
from the apex almost to the base, the spores being in the upper 
one-third (or very little more) of the ascus (Text-fig. I). 
The more mature asci, i.e. those in which there was a single 
large vacuole were on the whole longer and broader than those 
described under (1) and (2). Thus of those asci which were not 
vacuolate or which contained several comparatively small 
vacuoles the dimensions were I44-I7I x 7:5-gp, while those 
in which a single large vacuole extended almost the whole 
length of the ascus were found to measure 159-210 x 9:5-I2yp. 
The ascospores were variable in shape and size; they were 
generally ovoid to ellipsoid but often rather irregular, thus they 
were sometimes flattened on one side, some were pyriform, 
others were elongate becoming more or less fusiform and some- 
times almost pointed (Text-fig. 2). In size they showed a range 
of from 10 to 19:5 in length and 5 to 7-5 in width; the great 
majority however came within the limits 12-16 x 6-7. The 
average of 100 spores was found to be 13-6 x 6-4. As showing 
the variation in size and relative proportions the following may 
be given as examples: 19°5 x 6:5 w, 10 x 7°5 mw, 10 x Oy, 
155 X 5,13 x 7p. No definite guttules were observed. 
The apical pore of the ascus stained blue with iodine. The 
paraphyses were about the same length as the asci, usually 
swollen at the apex and unbranched or occasionally with one 
branch. 
One of the few sporophores which reached maturity in the 
open was found fully expanded on April 8 and was examined 
microscopically ; the asci and ascospores resembled in shape and 
size those previously examined. It is to be assumed therefore 
that the morphology of the fungus was not appreciably modified 
