Difhlin Microsccpical CI ah. 163 



for some specimens which had been gathered at Cape York in the 

 autumn of 1884. It seemed to have affinities with Dasycladus and 

 Neomeris, but differed from the former genus in its dichotomj^ and 

 from the latter in the want of a calcareous film and an investing 

 membrane. 



Peculiar adventitious or abnormal (?) Growth of Hair-lU'e Fila- 

 ments on Stems of Moss. — Mr. Archer drew attention to a remarkable 

 fringe of reddish arborescent filaments growing on a moss (Aula- 

 camnion paliLstre), given him bj' Mr. Pim, imparting to the plant a 

 very curious aud striking appearance. These filaments grew from 

 the stem onh', not from the leaves, aud presented, at first sight, 

 much the appearauce of an algal parasite of some kind, densely 

 coating the moss, and from the colour verj^ conspicuous. A closer 

 examination showed that this was an actual outgrowth from the 

 moss itself, the primary joint of these, so to speak, adventitious 

 hairs being simply cut off from one of the joints of the stem of the 

 moss. This then grew up into a comparatively stout main stem, 

 which gave oft' (somewhat C?ar/op7(or«-fashion) multitudes of branches, 

 continually growing more and more slender, so as to form a densely 

 dendroid structure, the whole confusedly interlaced, the leaves of 

 the moss more or less involved and covered by the thicket so pro- 

 duced. The reddish colour, like that of protonematous growths, 

 was due to the cell-wall, the contents being chlorophyllaceous green ; 

 here, however, unlike a Protonema, the joints were not separated 

 by oblique, but directly transverse, septa. The whole might lead to 

 the assumption that the moss was giving rise to a kind of retrogres- 

 sive growth, a kind of secondary " Protonema," which, if detached, 

 and on a damp substratum, might give rise to a new moss. 



Clavicej>s Wilsoni from Aberdeen e.rJiibited. — Mr. Pim showed 

 Claviceps Wilsoni sent to him by Mr. A. Stephen "Wilson, of Aber- 

 deen. This is an extremely distinct form of ergot, occurring on 

 Glyceria fluitans near Aberdeen. The club, instead of being nearly 

 globose, is long and clavate and has the perithecia external to it as 

 pear-shaped sacs, instead of being sunk in the substance of the club. 

 The asci and spores did not differ materially from those of the com- 

 mon form, which was shown for comparison. 



Section of Macrocystis pyrifera. — Prof. M'Nab exhibited a trans- 

 verse section of part of the thallus of Macrocystis pyrif era taken 

 close to tlie base of the air-bladder, showing the peripheral series of 

 gum-canals. 



Nectria sinopica exhibited. — Mr. Pim showed Nectria sinopica on 

 ivy, received from Rev. H. W. Lett, Lurgan. The circidar cluster 

 of somewhat flattened deep red perithecia, surrounded by the rup- 

 tured epidermis, formed an exceedingly pretty object by reflected 

 light, reminding one of a basket of strawberries. 



June 18, 1885. 

 Embryo Plantlets of Fucus. — Dr. M'jS"ab exhibited seedlings or, 

 more correctly, young embryo plants of Fucus vesiculosus, Linn. 



