On new species of North American Fungi. 417 



some force to move it with the fingers. On changing the water, 

 small holes would appear in the sand, from which afterwards the 

 siphons of the Tellens were protruded. These holes were in 

 pairs, and about the tenth of an inch in diameter ; one was a 

 little funnel, into which the grains of sand kept sliding, the 

 other a miniature crater of sand. After the siphons were ex- 

 tended, they frequently bent them down and explored the 

 surface, being evidently dissatisfied with their circumstances. 

 Slender as the branchial siphon is in Tellina and Syndosmya, it 

 frequently attracts particles too large to pass freely, and which 

 after oscillating for an instant halfway down, are suddenly ex- 

 pelled with a jerk. Besides watching the Bivalves, we sketched 

 them whilst living, and dissected them — or at least cut them up 

 in every possible way — when dead, and examined them with the 

 microscope. Everything we saw confirmed the accuracy of the 

 account given by Messrs. Alder and Hancock in the 'Ann. -Nat. 

 Hist.' 



XLI. — Centuries of North American Fungi. By the Rev. M. 

 J. Berkeley, M.A., F.L.S., and the Rev. M, A. Curtis, D.D. 



It is proposed in this and a series of similar memoirs to cha- 

 racterise a number of new North American Fungi, which have 

 rewarded the researches of Curtis, Ravenel, Bennett, Michener, 

 Olney, Peters, Sartwell, Lindheimer, Wright, and other botanists. 

 It was intended at first to publish the whole in an especial work 

 dedicated to North American Mycology, but it was found im- 

 possible to prepare so voluminous a book as a complete account 

 of the Fungi of the United States within any fixed time, and we 

 have therefore thought it right to publish the multitudes of new 

 species which exist in our Herbaria by way of Prodromus, 

 trusting that the larger work may not be put ofi" to the Greek 

 Calends. We ought to observe that a considerable portion of 

 Mr. Ravenel's specimens were accompanied by copious notes, of 

 which we have constantly availed ourselves. Indeed his name 

 might almost uniformly have been associated with our own, 

 were it not for the inconvenience of giving three authorities for 

 each new species. 



1. Agaricus {\msimt3.) polypyramis, n. s. Pileo expanso nitido 

 areolato verrucis centralibus crassis pyramidatis; stipite radi- 

 cante, basi incrassato squamuloso, lamelhs attingentibus. Curt, 

 no. 2854. In thin woods, Nov., South Carolina. 



Pileus 6 inches across, pure white, shining, areolate, beset with 

 thick, rather small, pointed pyramidal warts, especially in the 

 centre. Stem 6-8 inches high, 1-2 inches thick, solid, incras- 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. xii. 29 



