PREFACE xiii 



undoubted priority, but only as applied to the endosporous species. 

 The same thing was true of Link's designation until DeBary re- 

 defined it, but having been taken up by DeBary, redefined and 

 correctly applied, Myxomycetes (Link) DeBary must remain the 

 undisputed title for all true slime-moulds, endosporous and exo- 

 sporous alike. 



In arranging the larger divisions of the group the scheme of 

 Rostafinski has been somewhat modified in order to give expression 

 to what the present author deems a more natural sequence of species. 

 The highest expression of myxomycetan fructification is doubtless the 

 isolated sporangium with its capillitium. This is reached by succes- 

 sive differentiations from the simple Plasmodium. The asthalium may 

 be esteemed in some instances a case of degeneration, in others of 

 arrested development. In any event in the present arrangement, 

 aethalioid forms are first disposed of, leaving the sporangiate species 

 to follow from plasmodiocarpous as directly as may be. 



The artificial keys herewith presented proceed on the same plan 

 and are to be taken, as such keys always are, not as definitive in any 

 case, but simply as an aid to help the student more speedily to reach 

 a probably satisfactory description. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 



The first edition of this little book having been exhausted long 

 ago, the writer in this second issue takes opportunity to correct 

 sundry errata, typographical and other, and at the same time to 

 incorporate such new information in reference to individual species 

 and to the subject entire as the researches of more recent years may 

 aflford. 



To Miss Gulielma Lister, of London, the writer expresses his 

 sense of deep obligation for much assistance in settling difficult mat- 

 ters of nomenclature and identification ; it will be found as a result 

 that in most instances the same thing in the two volumes, English 

 and American, appears under the same name. There are still dif- 



