Polyporus and gave an account of it in the Victorian Naturalist. 

 Specimens were sent to Kew and named Polyporus Mylittae (1892). 

 These are the finest fruiting bodies I have seen. I found no specimen 

 at Kew, but at the British Museum is a photograph of a sclerotium 

 bearing several deformed sporophores. The specimens from Mr. 

 Cheel are regular and perfect. As the original description is inaccu- 

 rate in several particulars, we would describe it as follows: 



Pileus 2-4 cm., with a sulcate, minutely tomentose surface. 

 Color raw umber (brown). Flesh dry, subligneous, in two layers, 

 each 1 to 2 mm. thick, the upper light brown, the lower white. Stipe 

 mesopodial, 5-10 mm. thick, 2-3 cm. long, deformed. Pores small, 

 round or irregular, 2 to 3 to a mm., 2-3 mm, long. Spores abundant, 

 cylindrical, 2x6 mic., hyaline, smooth. 



The fruiting bodies are attached to the sclerotia by thick, white, 

 branched, mycelial cords, that permeate the substance of the sclerotia. 



As there is not a specimen of Polyporus Mylittae, as far as we 

 have found in other museums of Europe or the United States, it is 

 needless to add that we are particularly glad to get these from Mr. 

 Cheel. The species was included in our Synopsis in Section 38 

 (Ovinus). It should be moved to Section 8 (Lignosus). 



XYLARIA AXIFERA, FROM REV. C. TORREND, BRA- 

 ZIL. (Fig. 733.) There are two similar and most beautiful little 

 species of Xylaria in Brazil that have been confused and given (in 

 error) by Theissen as synonyms. Both were named by Montagne, 

 viz., Xylaria axifera and Xylaria aristata. Both have filiform stems, 

 which are prolonged beyond the little, globose or subglobose heads. 

 They may be distinguished as follows: 



Xylaria axifera has always smooth, globose heads, pale stems, 

 indistinct ostioles, and few perithecia, and grows on the dead stems 

 of herbaceous plants. 



Xylaria aristata has usually oblong, tubercular heads, black 

 stems, prominent ostioles, and grows on dead leaves. 



I found no spores in sections of either that I examined. I have 

 a nice collection of Xylaria aristata from Madame Anna Brockes and 

 M Aylana axifera from Rev. C. Torrend. 



534 



