Northern News. 207 



' Trans. Britl Myc. Soc.', Vol. III., Part V., p. 324, 1911-12 : — 

 ' When in 1908 I published in the " Trans. Brit. Myc. 

 Soc." my note on the little Discomycete discovered by Miss 

 Lorrain Smith, which was sent to me by my good friend, Mr. 

 Carleton Rea, I believed myself to have in hand specimens 

 which had attained their complete development. I had 

 not noted anything further until August this year (191 1) 

 when our colleague, Mr. Crossland, had the kindness to send 

 me numerous specimens on two different occasions. The 

 examination of these specimens enables me to state what had 

 already been recognised by our experienced colleague himself 

 that the spores of this species were not only continuous and 

 uncoloured or slightly coloured, but that with age, not only 

 acquire an intense colouration, even to an olive-black, but 

 also present a median septum, becoming clearly distinct only 

 at this period of full maturity. 



' I must also further remark that the paraphyses which 

 I had seen at first simple, or only divided near the base, often 

 present ramifications in the upper portions, a fact also observed 

 by Mr. Crossland. 



' These observations have necessarily modified my opinion 

 as to the genus in which this species should be placed ; and, 

 although some of the characters do not quite accord, I believe 

 it ought to be included in the genus Phaeangella of Saccardo. 

 ' This necessary correction is one more proof of the opinion 

 I have often expressed how little certainty is afforded among 

 the Discomycetes by the divisions of the spores. These organs 

 often present divisions in their interior only on their extreme 

 development which suffice to place them in quite different 

 genera ; so also of their tardy colouration.' 



A full description of the new find will be given later. 



♦♦ 



In the Transactions of the North of England Institute of Mining and 

 Mechanical Engineers, Vol. LXII., Part V., Mr. James Lomax suggests 

 the term ' Micro-coalologist ' or ' some such name ' should be given to an 

 investigator of the microscopic structure of coal. If this is adopted, we 

 would suggest the term ' microcarboniferouslimestoneologist ' for members 

 of the band studying the structure of the Carboniferous Limestone ; and 

 ' micromoorlogologist ' for those now busy studying moorlog from the 

 North Sea. But we think it would only be fair to consult the gentlemen 

 concerned before victimising them in the way suggested. 



It is encouraging to find what a great interest is taken in ' Nature 

 Study ' nowadays, and how anxious even our leading newspapers are to 

 print anything with a natural history flavour. The following observation, 

 by a Durham clergyman, recently finds space in the columns of the York- 

 shive Post : — ' Perhaps it may interest some of your readers to know that 

 I found a cuckoo's egg in a nest with four hedge-sparrow's eggs. The nest 

 was of course in a hedge, but the hedge was on the side of a highroad in 

 North Yorkshire. The egg was very dark, and spotted all over, rather 

 like a lark's in appearance, though slightly larger ; but it was considerably 

 smaller than that of a thrush.' Unfortunatelv we are not informed what 

 shape the egg was. 



1912 July I. 



