174 THE NORTH AMERICAN SLIME-MOULDS 



cent, steel-gray or bronze, 1 to 1.7 mm. high, .5 to .65 mm. thick; 

 hypothallus whitish, rugose; sporangium-wall membranous, hyaline, 

 not adhering to the capillitium ; columella arising from the hypothal- 

 lus and extending nearly to the apex, brown, very light and semi- 

 translucent near the base, irregular, flexuous, limeless throughout; 

 capillitium brown, radiating from the columella to the periphery, re- 

 peatedly branching and anastomosing; spores warted, the warts con- 

 nected by ridges forming a more or less perfect, coarse reticulation, 

 violaceous, pale, 10-12 fi. 



This is a very interesting species closely related to the preceding 

 from which it differs chiefly in the reticulation and generally more 

 uniform character of the spores. The author hesitated about the 

 generic reference, finally referring it to Diachaea despite the lack of 

 calcium, because it was sessile and had a peridium rather more per- 

 sistent than is usual in comatrichas. But the presence of lime in stipe 

 and columella is an essential element in the diagnosis of Diachaea, 

 while length of stem is everywhere variable in stipitate forms of every 

 genus, and the persistence of the peridium is also an uncertain factor ; 

 hangs on long in C. typhoides, e. g. 



On dead twigs, etc. — Philadelphia, — Mr. Btlgram; New Hamp- 

 shire. 



3. COMATRICHA FLACCIDA List. 



1894. Comatricha flaccida List, Morg., Jour. Cin. Soc, p. 51. 



1894. Stemonitis splendens, var. flaccida List., Mycetozoa, p. 112. 



1894. Comatricha flaccida (List.) Morg., Macbr., N. A. S., p. 133. 



1911. Stemonitis splendens, var. flaccida List, Mycetozoa, 2nd ed., p. 146. 



Sporangia semi-erect, close crowded in tufts t\vo inches in diam- 

 eter, ferruginous, from a dark brown hypothallus, sessile or short 

 stipitate; columella weak, crooked, percurrent, generally enlarged ir- 

 regularly at the apex ; capillitium of few, slender, brown branches 

 which anastomose sparsely and irregularly as in C. irregularis, and 

 present when freed from spores the same chenille-like appearance ; 

 spore-mass ferruginous brown; spores by transmitted light bright 

 reddish brown, minutely warted, 8-10 ju,. 



"Growing on old wood and bark of Oak, Willow, etc. The com- 



