

THE MYXOMYCETES OF PICTOU COUNTY. By CLABENCJS L. 

 MOORE,, M. A., Supervisor of Public Schools in Sydney, 

 Nova Scotia. 



(Read 13th April, 1908 ) 



The present paper embodies the results of studies of our 

 Nova Scotia forms of Myxomycetes carried on during the sum- 

 mers of 1905 and 1906. It is here presented as a contribution 

 to our knowledge of the flora of the Province and of the distri- 

 bution of these organisms which, though generally small and 

 inconspicuous, present in their life histories features of great 

 interest to the biologist. The group is one which has been 

 almost totally ignored by students of our fauna and flora, the 

 only reference to be found to it in any of our local scientific 

 literature being in a paper by the late Dr. Seiners on Nova 

 Scot' a fungi, published in the transactions of tlie Nova Scotia 

 Institute of Science. Dr. Somers there lists two of our common 

 forms, viz. : Lycoyala epidendrum Fr. and AethaHum septicum 

 Fr. \Fuligo ovata (Schseff) Macbr.]. These two species are 

 also enumerated by Dr. A. II. MacKay in his provisional list 

 of the Nova Scotia fungi, published in the transactions of the 

 same society (Vol. XI, Parti, pp. 122-143). 



In the following general discussion of the Myxomycetes, I 

 am necessarily indebted for many facts to the writings of 

 various .students of the group, a list of whose works which I 

 have freely consulted will be found at Iflie conclusion of this 

 paper. 



Life History. The life history of typical Myxbmyceftes 



may be briefly sketched as follows: Under suitable conditions 

 of temperature and moisture the spores germinate, the walls 

 cracking open and the contents escaping in the form of small 

 protoplasmic globules. These soon exhibit amoeboid movements, 



(165) 



