in Ceylon, but recently collected by Professor Fetch. One collection 

 reached Kew from Australia (Bailey, Brisbane River) which Cooke 

 named Lysurus Australiensis, and gave in the Handbook a most 

 inaccurate and exaggerated drawing of it. It seems to not be common 

 in Australia, though there are twelve collections in the National 

 Herbarium, Sydney. Fischer gives a very good figure of it from 

 Argentina under the name Lysurus Clarazianus. The European and 

 American history is all recent, for it is supposed to be introduced into 

 both these countries. With us it was first collected at East Galway, 

 New York, by Professor Burt in 1893. He published it as Anthurus 

 borealis, under a misconception of the genus Anthurus. A few sta- 

 tions were added from time to time (cfr. Myc. Notes, pp. 183, 219 and 

 515), and of late years it is sometimes found in abundance. It seems 

 to grow where sod has been turned and rotted. In Europe it has 

 been collected once in Germany and twice in England (cfr. Syn. 

 Phalloids, p. 40), no doubt adventitious. The native home of the 

 species is probably the East (Ceylon and Australia). Cleland and 

 Cheel consider that Mutinus pentagonus (Syn Phalloids, Fig. 28) is 

 the same plant. I examined the specimens at Kew and I thought 

 the arms were consolidated in one piece. If they separate, then I 

 think it is Lysurus Mokusin of China, which differs from Lysurus 

 Gardneri in having an angular, fluted stem.' Petch in his latest 

 work insisted that the Ceylonese plant and Australian are not the 

 same. 



RARE SPECIES OF FUNGI RECEIVED FR3M 

 CORRESPONDENTS. 



PAXILLUS AUREUS, FROM J. B. CLELAND, AUSTRALIA 



(Fig. 837). Resupinate, or 

 rather pileate and dorsally ad- 

 nate. Pileus with pale yellow 

 context, and raised, pubescent 

 margin. Gills strongly venose 

 connection. Spores small, sub- 

 hyaline, l>^-2 x3-4. 



In its habits, appearance, 

 color, context and spores this 

 is so close to Merulius aureus, 

 that there is a suspicion in my 

 mind it is a hymenial variant of 



it, but no similar plant occurs in Europe. The gills are similar to 

 those of Paxillus panuoides. 



The old system of fungus classification on hymenial configuration 

 is the best that can be devised, but it is not entirely natural. When 

 we become familiar with them we often recognize very close relation- 

 ships between plants of widely different genera. 



PAULIA RESINACEA, FROM J. T. PAUL, AUSTRALIA 

 (Figs. 838, 839 and 840). Many curious fungi reach me, but nothing 

 ever before as novel as this. I hardly know where to place it, though 



595 



