from the Northumberland Coal-field. 227 



being three or four times that of the branches, the terminal 

 vesicles being much larger. 



Several specimens of this species have occurred ; and we 

 have two or three of what we consider to be a variety of it, 

 with similar branches ; but neither have they bulbous enlarge- 

 ments nor are they papillose. The peculiarities of this variety 

 are probably owing to its state of development. 



2. Archagaricon glohuliferum. 



Tubes various in size, the larger about ■^^j-^ inch in dia- 

 meter, smooth ; both stems and branches straight or very 

 little sinuous, with numerous globular enlargements five or 

 six times the diameter of the tubes, and with a few extremely 

 large spherical vesicles, many times larger than the globular 

 enlargements, some of them being ~ inch in diameter. 



This species is distinguished from A. bulbosum by the 

 straightness, smoothness, and minuteness of the branches, and 

 also by the more numerous globular enlargements, and parti- 

 cularly by the great size of the terminal vesicles. Several 

 specimens have been obtained. 



3. Archagaricon radiatum. 



Tubes large, measuring -gi^ inch in diameter, short, smooth, a 

 little tortuous, and appearing as if radiating from centres, but 

 not with much regularity ; their margins are not always ex- 

 actly parallel, but usually somewhat irregularly sinuous. 



This is a very characteristic species, and cannot be con- 

 founded with any other. We have two specimens exactly 

 agreeing in the above characters ; a third has, in addition to 

 the radiating tubes, large, irregular, rounded vesicles. The 

 variation is probably owing to a different state of development. 

 The fungus is elongated and rather small. 



4. Archagaricon dendriticum. 



Tubes very minute, Yzhrij ^^^^^ ^'^ diameter, arranged in den- 

 dritic tufts in connexion with the periphery of the organism, 

 and having interspersed large elliptical vesicles, which are 

 apparently terminal. When the branches are crowded, the 

 tuft-like arrangement is obscured. 



We have only two specimens of this pretty species ; they are 

 irregularly circular, and are quite minute, being only -^ inch 

 in diameter. They do not exactly agree in internal structure, 

 one of them having the terminal elliptical vesicles much more 

 numerous than the other, and the organism crowded through- 

 out with a vast number of similar vesicles. 



