A Revision of the Trichiacese. By G. Massee. 351 



Rostafinski founded his Prototrichia elegantula on a specimen in 

 the Berkeley herbarium at Kew, which was sent by Fries, and marked 

 " (Perichsena ?) nova species, in Betula. Lindblad." This specimen 

 on examination proves to be identical with Trichia metallica, B. 

 The last-named species is given as a synonym of P. flagellifer, B. and 

 Br., by Rostafinski — evidently the outcome of pocket-lens examination. 



B. Spores minutely warted. 

 Prototrichia cuprea, Mass. (n. sp.), fig. 24. 



Sporangia scattered or crowded, subglobose, sessile on a broad base, 

 or attenuated below, or with a very short distinct stem, bright copper- 

 colour, shming, sometimes iridescent ; mass of capillitium and spores 

 reddish flesh-colour ; capillitium copious, threads attached at one end 

 to the base of the peridium, hasal part of thread 6-8 /x thick, 

 60-80 /x long, then brandling once or twice in a dichotomous manner, 

 branches tapering upwards 150-200 /x long or more, each ending in 

 a more or less corymbose txft of slender, smooth, colourless filaments 

 of variable _ length, and 1-2 /^ thick, main trunk and branches 

 brownish, with rather close, not prominent, spirals ; spores globose, 

 minutely verruculose, 10-13 /a diameter. 



(Type in Herb. Kew.) 



On dead thorn. Scarborough ! 



Sporangia -5-1 mm. diameter, bright copper-colour, polished, and 

 often iridescent, especially when old and empty. Characterized by 

 the warted spores. When I first collected the present species, some 

 years ago, I concluded that it was identical with Berkeley's Proto- 

 trichia flagellifer, and, noticing that the spores were warted, had 

 the presumption to think that a mistake had been made by Berkeley 

 in describing the spores as smooth, an idea which I expressed in 

 Roy. Micr. Soc. Journal, v. p. 757. Having since had an opportunity 

 of examining Berkeley's type-specimen, I find that the mistake was 

 on my own part, and that the spores were smooth as described. 



Hemiarcyria, Rest. 



Sporangium consisting of a single wall, dehiscing irregularly; 

 threads of the capilHtium with ridges arranged m a spiral, formino- a 

 net_ with usually free ends; spores globose, epispore smooth^ or 

 variously ornamented. 



Rost., Mon., p. 261 ; Cooke, Myx. Brit., p. 67 ; Sacc, Syll., vii. 

 part i., p. 446. 



The only genus belonging to the Trichiacem having the threads 

 of the capilhtium combined into a net. Most nearly related to Arcyria, 

 in fact the only point of difierence consists in the ornamentation of 

 the capillitium threads. In Remiarctjria spiral bands are always 

 present, and may be supplemented by spines or warts, whereas in 

 Areyria the threads may be smooth, warted, spinulose, or with half- 

 rings ; but ridges spirally arranged are never present. It is more than 



