CLASSIFICATION 445 



paratively shapeless masses of a decidedly soft and gelatinous 

 consistency. The commonest species, known as " witches' butter," 

 is black, forming quaky masses often i in. long, the upper surface 

 is covered with minute warts. A second equally common species 

 occurs on fallen, rotten branches, under the form of pure white, 

 nodulose lumps oozing out of the wood. 



Tremella 

 The species grow on wood, and form gelatinous, tremelloid, soft 

 masses, which are sometimes very much puckered or plaited, others 

 form brain-like masses, as in T. mesenteyica, a bright orange, 

 gelatinous fungus common on rotten branches, stumps, etc. 



Tremellodon 

 A very gelatinous fungus, having spines on the under surface of 

 the cap as in Hydnum. The basidia are peculiar in structure. 



Dacryomyces 

 The species resemble small warts of orange jelly, 1-2 lines across. 

 Common on old pine boards, posts, etc., in rainy weather. 



N^MATELIA 



Forming small, gelatinous, whitish, puckered masses, dis- 

 tinguished by the presence of a small, hard, white, central nucleus 

 or core. 



Calocera 



Erect, slender, simple or branched, resembling species of Clavaria, 

 but distinguished by growing on wood, and by their gelatinous 

 substance when moist, becoming rigid when dry. 



Dacryopsis 



Forming small, gelatinous warts, that can only be distinguished 



from allied genera by microscopic examination. The peculiar 



feature of the genus consists in the Itymenium bearing a crop of 



conidia, previous to the formation of true spores borne on basidia. 



DiTIOLA 



Resembling Dacryopsis in every point, except that conidia have 

 not been observed. 



Apyrenium 

 Small, hollow, bladdery, subglobose, pale yellow structures, which 

 collapse when old. 



Gyrocephalus 

 Our single species, which is very rare, grows erect, flattened, and 

 more or less spoon-bowl shaped, tapering downwards into a stem. 

 Colour deep red or reddish orange. 



