AMAUROCHJETE 153 



"pilam tactu eximie elasticam," etc. He read the description in the 

 Conspectus, but carried away the stemonitis suggestion dominant 

 there, as we have seen, put S. tubulina A. & S. as an undeveloped 

 phase of S. fusca, which, of course, it is not. It needed not the 

 authority of Rostafinski, Mon., p. 197, to assure us this. The earlier 

 authors describe the species in course of development to complete 

 maturity, and clinch the story by declaring the form a constant com- 

 panion of the commonly recognized amaurochcte, so fixing the rela- 

 tionship for us by habitat also. 



These men made a mistake, of course, in placing their species among 

 the stemonites at all. They did much better however than Fries who 

 called it a reticularia. It was also a mistake to cite S. fasciculata, — 

 the small fasciculate tufts of S. fusca and S. axifera oflFering by the 

 aggregate habit only faint resemblance, — a possible refuge for those 

 who would prefer another disposition of their species distinct (aliena) 

 though it is. 



Since Fries' day the species has been overlooked although the genus 

 has received more than once attention. Zukal Hedwigia, XXXV., p. 

 335, describes A. speciosa as a new species. This Saccardo writes 

 down, Syll. Fung., VII., p. 399, S. tubulina A. & S., admitting, how- 

 ever, at the same time, that as fine an authority as Raciborsky refuses 

 to call Zukal's species either a stemonite or an amaurochete, thinks it 

 deserving generic appellation of its own. 



However, A. speciosa Zuk. need not here concern us. Neither in 

 his description nor figures does Zukal at all approach the form we 

 study. His species is not an amaurochete ; the size of the spores sug- 

 gest that, to say nothing of the capillitial structure. 



In the same volume VII., the distinguished author introduces an- 

 other amaurochete, A. minor Sacc. & Ellis, Mich. II., p. 566 This 

 is American ; sent from Utah by our famous pioneer collector 

 Harkness. A specimen is before us: it is a lepidoderma! in shining, 

 scaly armor dressed; vid. under L. carestianum. 



Since the distribution of Washington material, as mentioned, our 

 species reappears at various points in western Europe, points in Eng- 

 land, etc., and will no doubt now share, hereafter as a century ago, 

 the habitat so long conceded to the long familiar older type. 



