LICHENS AND FUNGI OF OTAGO, NEW ZEALAND. 425 



slides during examination — rather of abortive development, than of the partition 

 of the full-sized, mature spore (fig. 6). Sometimes these half spores occurred 

 in considerable numbers. 



In certain old perithecia, in their Pyrenothea-\ike bases seated below the epi- 

 dermis of the flax leaf — and in the same perithecia, moreover, that had appar- 

 ently contained thecse and normal endothecal spores (fig. 4 b d)—\ found myriads of 

 extremely minute corpuscles, resembling in size and other features the spermatia 

 of various Lichens, — differing, however, in their irregularity of form (fig. 7\ 

 They were ellipsoid, fusiform, or rod-shaped; occasionally slightly curved; about 

 •00016" long, -000083" to -000066" broad, endowed with a vivid Brownian or mole- 

 cular movement. Materials are probably imperfect for determining whether these 

 corpuscles really belong to the Sphwria. If they do, they are probably to be con- 

 sidered its stylospores. In reference to these corpuscles, and to the observation 

 connected with their discovery, Mr Currey writes — " It is not, I think, improbable 

 that you may have found spermatia and asci within the same perithecium in S. 

 Lindsayana, although such an occurrence is not common in the genus. Indeed, 

 I do not know that it has ever been observed. Conidia (the bodies resemb- 

 ling spermatia, but which are larger, and capable of germination) have been 

 noticed by Tulasne in the same perithecium with asci. You will find a figure of 



this in the second volume of his ' Selecta Fungorum Carpologia.' * 



In S. Lindsayana, you have probably come upon perithecia in what is called 

 a Sphceropsoid state, i.e., having only very minute stylospores and no asci. These 

 imperfect perithecia are found in some Sphcerice, and are probably more common 

 than has been supposed. But further observation alone can determine whether 

 they are universal." t 



Sp. 2. S. Otagensis (figs. 8 to 15). 



Diagnostic char. : " Div. Villosce. — Perithecia erumpent, or flattened, with a 

 mammillate ostiolum, tomentose. Sporidia (? biseriate) brown, curved, 3-6 sep- 

 tate, constricted at the septa, variable in length ; 0-0006 to 0001 or more inch, 

 sometimes with one (or more?) longitudinal septa. Not in good condition." 

 (Currey MSS.) 



Hab. On a stockyard fence of old, weathered " Goai " timber {Sophora tetrap- 

 tera, Aiton) ; farm of Fairfield, Saddlehill. 



To the naked eye, the perithecia appear to be a series, closely aggregated, 

 of very minute, irregular tubercles or buttons : but, when moistened and carefully 

 examined under the lens, they resolve themselves into two main forms — the cone 

 or papilla, and the disk. The former resemble the perithecia of various of the larger 

 black Verrucario3 ; the latter the young apothecia of various Lecidea?. The papil- 



* Letter, March 22, 1865 f Letter, November 6, 1865. 



