94 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Cordyceps militaris, and they seem to think that all the species of 

 Isaria are in the same way connected with, and derived from, some 

 species of Cordyceps. 



The curious species of Isaria which I wish to bring before you 

 this evening was discovered by one of our members, Mr. H. 

 Giles, of Nar-Nar-Goon. I do not think I can do better than 

 give his notes on the finding of the fungus in nearly his own 

 words — " I found it on 6ih April, 1893, under a piece of charred 

 timber about six or seven inches long and four inches wide. The 

 timber was lying amongst some tufts of kangaroo grass and rushes, 

 in heavy timbered land belonging to Messrs. Joske and Best, at 

 Gembrook. When found the fungus was growing prostrate,, 

 spreading from the cocoon over the charred timber, which was 

 declined at an angle of about 45 degrees. It was just beginning 

 to attach itself to the wood where the thickened parts begin. 

 Perhaps I should state that the wood was not from a recent fire 

 by any means ; I should say that it had been burnt for at least 

 three, perhaps five, years. When I obtained it there was nothing 

 of the fungus visible except that growing from the sides of the 

 cocoon, but in a short time it began to burst through the top, or 

 rather the bottom, for the cocoon was firmly fixed to the under 

 side of the charred wood. During the time I had the specimen 

 the branches of the fungus had increased in length by two or three 

 lines, for I had been careful to keep the cork on which I had 

 placed it moist and cool." 



When I received the specimen from Mr. French it was carefully 

 spread over the cork false bottom of the box in which it had been 

 forwarded. The cocoon was in the centre, and from it were three 

 groups of fungoid branches. The first group consisted of about 

 ten distinct stems, some of them partly fastened together ; they 

 sprang from the under side of the cocoon and spread outwards ; 

 most of them had a distinct cylindrical slender stem about 15 

 lines long by }4 line in width near the base, which sometimes in- 

 creases in diameter as it grows upwards. Each stem was sur- 

 mounted by a club-shaped head. 



The heads varied in size from 2 lines in length and one line in 

 width up to 3 lines by i^. The portion of each head next the 

 cork was flattened, rather rough, with small portions of charcoal 

 firmly fastened to it ; the rest of the head was nearly semi- 

 spherical, white and rough-looking, covered with a mealy-looking 

 substance. The other two groups of fungoid branches sprang 

 from the opposite side, but in different directions ; they also grew 

 from underneath the cocoon, in one group ; the stems were in- 

 clined to branch, each branch swelling into a distinct head. One 

 group had five principal stems and several smaller ones ; the third 

 group had also five stems, some with branches and others slightly 

 anastomising. On making sections of one of the swollen heads 



