I'sfihn'o. 



Lake. March, 



1, Melbourne, 



1907. Horti- 



1908, and to 

 Oct., 1909. Murchison, Oct., 1907 (Wallace). Dookie, Dec, 

 1907. Coode Island, Nov., 1908 (C. French, jun.). Melbourne, 

 Nov. and Dec, 1908 (C. French, jun.). Bairnsdale, Dec, 1908 

 (Smith). Burnley, Jan. to Mav, 1909. Mvrniong, Feb., 1909. 

 Treasurv Gardens, Melbourne, Feb., 1909. Balwyn, Nov., 1909 

 (C. French, jun.). Willsmere, Dec. 1909 (Searle). Burnlev, 

 Dec, 1909, and Feb.. 1910. 



New South Wales— Singleton, Nov., 1903 (Cobb). Upper Hunter 

 (Turner). 



The smut has been found on the Prairie Grass all the year round. Usually 

 all the spikelets of a panicle are infected, but I have found specimens in 

 which the lowest spikelet bore sound seeds, while all the others were affected. 

 In other cases the lower spikelets Avere affected and the upper clean (Fig. 15). 



Spore formation. — A cross-section of the ovary shows dense dark-brown 

 firmly agglutinated masses of spores arranged around various vascular 

 bundles. The spores are seen radiating from these as a centre, at first 

 colourless, and minute, and gradually increasing in size until they becc me 

 mature and coloured. 



The type of Cintrac'.ia pafar/onica on Bromus unioloides was examined by 

 Clinton, and found to be this species. He regards it as an unusually vigorous 

 form, because the basal parts of the outer glumes as Avell as the ovaries were 

 infected, but this was a very common occurrence in our specimens. 



The Cintractia type is suggested from the way in which the spores radiate 

 from the various vascular bundles, but there is no central core of tissue from 

 which the mass of spores radiates. 



Germination. — The spore germinates freely in water, and I found it to 

 retain its germinating power for at least two and a half years. It also ger- 

 minates in nutritive solution, when the germinal tube is larger and more 

 robust than in water. BrefekP- has shown that the conidia grow into 

 tiicellular sporophores, which sprout directly into new conidia. 



(Plates XV., XXVin.) 



(3. Ustilago bullata Bi 



Agropyron. 



Berkelev in V\. N. Zeal. 11.. p. 19(i (18.1.-)). 



Cooke, Handb. Austr. Fung., p. 32(1 (18^»l'). 



Brefeld, Unters. Gesammt. Mvk. XII.. p. Ill (1S9.-)). 



Sacc. Syll. VII., p. 468 (1888). 

 Sori produced in the inflorescence and destroying it, at first enclosed 

 in a greyish or leaden-coloured membraiie which is soon ruptured, 

 exposing the dark-brown to black compact mass of spores, .some- 

 times oidy attacking jxirtion of the s])ikelets. 



