166 THE NORTH AMERICAN SLIME-MOULDS 



However ; Rostafinski made his specific diagnosis turn largely upon 

 the mesh-width in the superficial net. This comes out in the 'opis' 

 following the description, and upon this the European decision in 

 Rostafinski's favor as against S. morgani largely turns. Tropical 

 gatherings are probably always darker, and evidently from such, from 

 the north coast of South America, the original description was drawn. 

 Specimens before us from the same latitude are dusky indeed ; no 

 clear brown at all, but purplish withal. 



For the sake of harmony we may therefore now substitute the 

 earlier name "with reservations" ! but our description remains as be- 

 fore, presenting the really splendid, shining things that adorn our 

 northern fields. Dr. Rostafinski called the large open meshes of the 

 net 'oka J eyes; lumina let us say! quite uniform they are in 9 and 10, 

 much less so in 8. 



10. Stemonitis fenestrata Rex. 



1890. Stemonitis splendens R. /. fenestrata Rex, Proc. Phil. Acad., p. 36. 



Sporangia aggregated, in tufts 2 cm. or more in diameter, rich 

 purple brown, on a common hypothallus, more or less erect, stipitate, 

 tall, about 2 cm., slender, triangular in section; stipe black, about 

 one-third the total height, passing into a slender columella which is 

 lateral in position, not central, but little branched, continued almost 

 to the apex ; the capillitium consisting almost entirely of the peripheral 

 net, which presents meshes of unusual uniformity of size and shape ; 

 spores in mass brown, colorless by transmitted light, nearly smooth, 

 6-7.5 II. 



The remarkable shape of the sporangium and the peculiar regu- 

 larity of the surface net, the lateral columella, all combine here to 

 warrant the erection of a distinct species. Dr. Rex referred this to 

 S. bduerlinii Mass. At that time he had not the author's description, 

 and had seen only a very poor fragment received with notes in a 

 letter. Mr. Massee's description makes it immediately evident that 

 whatever other affiliations S. bauerlinii may have, by description it 

 has at least none with S. fenestrata nor with our northern form of 

 S. splendens. Massee's species is described as having the "mass of 

 spores black", the capillitium with "branches springing from the col- 



