CAPSULAR FUNGI— PYRENOMYCETES 215 



carbonaceous. The numerous genera which are recognised 

 by Saccardo, having hyaline sporidia, have been reunited 

 under the genus Psilosphacria, the different forms of sporidia 

 being recognised by subgenera. Another genus, Roscllinia, 

 includes the species with coloured sporidia without septa ; 

 and Mclanomma those species with coloured septate sporidia, 

 in conjunction with the smaller genus Olileria. Sporidia 

 which are divided in both directions, so as to be muriform, 

 fall under the genus Strickeria. In appearance the sub- 

 division of Sordarieae is almost equal to Bosellineae ; but, 

 instead of being carbonaceous, the perithecia are membrana- 

 ceous, and nearly all the species flourish on dung. In many 

 instances the sporidia are involved in a gelatinous coat. 

 There are really but two distinct genera, although, on account 

 of modifications in the sporidia, several subgenera are accepted, 

 which some authors have raised to the rank of genera. 

 Sordaria is, as a whole, a very characteristic genus, which the 

 late Dr. Winter made the subject of a monograph. The 

 sporidia in the majority of species are large, elliptical, and 

 brown, sometimes with a hyaline tail, but in one subgenus 

 they are uniseptate. The other genus, Sporormia, has a 

 peculiar form of fruit which calls to mind Perisporium ; most 

 of the species are very minute, almost invisible without a 

 strong lens, and the sporidia are brown and septate, readily 

 breaking up at the joints. 



In the old arrangement of the Simple Sphaeriaceae adopted 

 by Fries, the Svperficialcs were succeeded by a group of 

 genera in which the perithecia were smooth and half immersed 

 in the matrix. The base of the perithecium being flattened, 

 they possessed a more or less conical form, and were occasion- 

 ally only adnate, although apparently half immersed. These 

 were the Fertusae, which we constitute the tenth subfamily ; 

 and the typical genera are Conisphaeria, in which the sporidia 

 are hyaline ; and Amphisphacria, in which the sporidia are 

 coloured. Another genus, under the name of Ticotliecium, 

 includes minute species, found growing upon Lichens. Such 

 species as conform in general habit and appearance, but with 

 muriform sporidia, find a place in the genus Teicliospora. 

 This last subfamily leads almost imperceptibly to the two 



