386 Natural History Bulletin. 



behooves every working systemalist to avoid increasing the 

 number, even if by reason of imperfect description justice to 

 earlier students requires the exercise of a httle charity. 



4. DiDYMiuM SQUAMULOSUM [Alb. mid Schzvein.) Furies. 



Plate XI, Figs. 5, ^a and 5^. 



Sporangia gregarious, stipitate, hemispherical, flattened and 

 umbilicate below, irregularly dehiscent above, about one mm. 

 wide; stipe variable, but entering the sporangium and there 

 forming a distinct spheroidal usually snow-white columella, 

 longitudinally striate, white or pale; capillitium of slender bi- 

 furcating filaments radiating from the tips of the columella to 

 the peridial wall; spores minutely papillose, pale violet, 9-12 //. 



This species is rare with us, occurring occasionally on rot- 

 ting straw heaps, smothering strawberry vines, or decaying 

 herbaceous stems in an over-crowded flower-bed. 



Exteriorly with the appearance of a Physarum it is easily 

 distinguished from species of that genus by its entirel}'" differ- 

 ent and un-physarum-like capillitium. The stems are usually 

 snow-white when the columella is the same, but sometimes, 

 owing probably to local surroundings, the stipe and columella 

 seexn as if stained, pale brown or tawny. The peridium at 

 maturity breaks up into irregular patches white with lime and 

 in this condition presents a uniformly characteristic appearance. 



5. DiACH^A LEUCOPODA RostafinskL 



Sporangia cylindric, obtuse, stipitate, iridescent or purple; 

 stipe white, tapering upwards, borne on a white spreading 

 hypothallus; columella cylindric, about two-thirds the height 

 of the peridium white with enclosed lime granules; capillitium 

 of numerous branching and anastomosing threads which are 

 rather thick as they leave the columella but become thinner 

 outwards and support the peridium; spores minutely verrucu- 

 lose, pale violet, about 9//.. 



This species occurs rarely in our forest-lands usually on 

 undisturbed beds of drifted leaves. It is a beautiful thing, one 



