host. Stem 3-4 mm. thick, 3-4 cm. long. Fertile portion black (when 

 dry) flattened and many curved (falcate), 2-3 cm. long, 8-10 mm. 

 wide, 3-4 mm. thick. Surface smooth, or punctate with the mouths 

 of the perithecia. Perithecia imbedded. Spores broken in the asci, 

 into separable, short, secondary spores about 3 mic. long. The name 

 of the host is unknown to me, but it is no doubt the larva of some 

 Lepiodopterous insect. There is but one similar species named, viz., 

 Cordyceps falcata, known only from one collection, from India, and 

 preserved at Kew. At first view it might be taken for this species, 

 having similar size, shape and host. Cordyceps falcata does not 

 grow solitary. The type had two fruits which were "caespitose" 

 according to Berkeley's definition, but the main difference is that the 

 perithecia of Cordyceps falcata are not imbedded but superficial, and 

 according to accounts fall away as they do in Cordyceps Robertsii. 

 My photographs seem to bear this out. Massee states, "The head is 

 falcate in all the specimens present in the Herbarium." As "all the 

 specimens" ever present was a single one, the argument for me is 

 not very convincing. 



Cordyceps Craigii was collected by Eric Craig in "old and aban- 

 doned Kumara beds," and is very rare. "Kumara," according to 

 the dictionary, was the aboriginal name for the sweet potato. Mr. 

 Craig also sends two specimens collected in the bush which are very 

 similar and probably the same species. I could not say positively, 

 however, from the specimens, as they are both immature. 



Fig. 719 

 oidyceps amazomca. Section of head enlarged. 



CORDYCEPS AMAZONICA, FROM REV. C. TORREND, 



Tr ^ Flg ' 719 ') AU We kn w of this P lant is the fi ure and 

 publication of Hennings, and we cannot trust very far the accuracy 



of his work. There are discrepancies. The heads are globose, not 

 ovate, as shown. Instead of being a simple club, the stems are 

 branched; in this specimen one with two branches, bearing a head 

 on each branch. The other with a cluster of axillary heads (4) and 

 two terminal heads. The secondary spores are 5-6 mic. Ordinarily, 

 oi course it would be a "new species," but growing on the same host 

 (.Locusta) in the same region and being very similar, the probabilities 

 are that it is the same. 



ROBER TSII, FROM GEORGE BROWN, 



At the time we wrote our pamphlet on Australian 

 528 



