276 NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN. 



and examined often. Saccardo in Sylloge Fungorum, (page 

 528 ) describes the spores as being hyaline. 



ASCOPHANUS CINEREUS (Crouan) Boud. 

 Plate XIV, fig. 1. 



1871 Ascobolus cinereus Cooke, Handbk. of Brit. Fung., II, p. 731. 



1887 Ascophanus cinereus Phillips, Brit. Disc, p. 308. 



1889 Ascophanus cinereus Saccardo, Sylloge Fung., VIII, p. 531. 



Scattered or gregarious, sessile or slightly stipitate, at first 

 globose then expanded; hymenium plane or convex, 1 to 2 mm. 

 in diameter; externally pruinose, cinereus, or blackish brown; 

 asci cylindrical or slightly clavate; sporidia 8, elliptical or 

 slightly attenuate at the ends, granular within, 20 to 22 by 

 10 microns; paraphyses filiform, slender. 



Habitat — Grown on horse dung in culture in laboratory. 



This species is distinguished from the other species of Ascop- 

 Jianus described here by the color of the plants, the habitat 

 also being different. The plants are similar in size to those 

 of Ascophanus testaceus but are different in color and general 

 appearance. The spores are somewhat larger and inclined 

 to be narrow at the ends. The paraphyses are much more 

 slender and not enlarged at their apices nor colored. 



Ascophanus testaceus (Moug.) Phill. 

 Plate XIII, fig. i. 



I860 Helotium testaceum Berkeley, Outl. of Brit. Fung. , p. 372. 

 1871 Ascobolus testaceus Cooke, Handbk. of Brit. Fung.,' II, p. 732. 

 1887 Ascophanus testaceus Phillips, Brit. Disc, p. 310. 

 1889 Ascophanus testaceus Saccardo, Sylloge Fung. , VIII, p. 535. 

 1807 Ascophanus testaceus Engler-prantl, Pflan. Famil. I, i, p. 190. 



Gregarious, waxy, sessile, smooth, depressed, convex, brick 

 red, 1 to 2 mm. in diameter; asci broadly clavate; sporidia 8, 

 elliptical, often granular, 18 to 20 by 9 to 10 microns; para- 

 physes stout, septate, simple or branched at the base, clavate 

 at the apices, filled with numerous reddish granules. 



Habitat — Abundant on old sacking in wet places, also on 

 heavy paper, Indiana and on old rag carpet, Pocahontas, Iowa. 



