Prototrkhia. 127 



A. Spores smooili. 

 Prototrichia flagellifera, Rost. (figs. 130—132). 



Sporangia scattered, globose, attenuated below to a narrow 

 point of attachment, wall thin, smooth, copper-colour, and 

 reflecting metallic tints ; mass of capillitium and spores flesh- 

 colour; elaters 7 — 9 ix broad at the base, tapering towards the 

 apex, branching at some distance towards the point of attach- 

 ment into two or three arms, each generally again divided near 

 the apex, spirals thin, not prominent, sometimes crowded, at 

 others distant, disappearing below the ultimate branchlets, 

 brown, becoming colourless towards the tips; spores globose, 

 smooth, 10 — 18 IX diameter. 



Prototrichia flag ellifer, Rost., Mon. Appendix, p. 38 (in part); 

 Cooke, Myx. Brit., p. 65 ; Sacc, Syll., n. 1492 (in part) ; Mass., 

 Rev. Trich., p. 850, pi. vii., f. 23. 



Trichia fiagellifer, B. and Br., Ann. Nat. Hist,, Ser. III., vol. 

 xviii., p. 56, pi 2, f. 4 (no. 1143). 



Dermatricha fiagellifer, Cooke, MS. 



(Type specimen in Herb. Berk., Kew, n. 10,905), 



On dead wood. Britain (Badminton, Gloucester, Carlisle) ; 

 Sweden. 



Scattered, or rarely 3 — 5 in a cluster, but not crowded 

 together, '5 or a little more in diameter. A very neat species, 

 the sporangial wall is unusually persistent, hence the plant is 

 generally found in good condition. The smooth spores and 

 elaters thickest at the point of attachment mark the species. 



Prototrichia metallica, Mass. 



Sporangia scattered, stipitate or sessile on a broad base, 

 spherical or depressed and lenticular, smooth, shining, copper- 

 colour with metallic tints ; stem very short, rather thick, darker 

 in colour than the sporangium ; mass of capillitium and spores 

 pale fiesh-colour or yellowish ; elaters elongato-fusiform, 6 — 7 [i 

 at thickest part, 300 — 400 /x long, tcrminatiiig at the apex in a 



