438 DE LAUDER LINDSAY ON THE 



The plant does not appear to differ materially, save in its site, from two 

 British species, M. gemmifera, Tayl., and M. rugulosa, Borr. (Mudd, " Manual," 

 p. 306). It has further the characters of various Lichenicolous Sphcerice, as these 

 are described, especially by Mudd. It is, however, most doubtful whether, on 

 the one hand, many, at least, of the Sphcerice so-called, should not properly, as 

 Korber thinks, be referred to his Lichen-genus Microthelia; and, on the other, 

 whether the latter genus itself should not be wholly transferred to the Fungi. 

 The whole question, as it at present stands, is beset with difficulty and confusion. 



The Sphcerice and allied Fungi, which occur parasitic on the apothecia and 

 thallus of Lichens, are at once so little known and so interesting, that I append, 

 for the sake of comparison, a few illustrative examples. 



1. Sphceria squama rioides, Mudd, p. 130 ; parasitic on the thallus of Placopsis 

 gelida, L. ; a Lichen which occurs equally in Otago and Britain, and is so closely 

 allied to, and so frequently associated with, P. perrugosa, Nyl., as to be apt to be 

 confounded therewith. Microthelia perrugosaria has many of the characters of 

 S. squamarioides as described by Mudd, though the habitat differs — being thallus 

 in the latter, apothecia in the former. 



2. Sphceria gelidaria, Mudd, p. 130 ; parasitic also on the thallus of Placopsis 

 gelida. L. Its characters at once distinguish it from M. perrugosaria. 



3. Sphceria cerinaria, Mudd, p. 136; parasitic on the apothecia of Lecanora 

 cerina, Ach., in Britain. 



4. Sphceria leucomelaria, Mudd, p. 105 ; parasitic on the thallus of Physcia 

 leucomela, Mich., and P. ciliaris, L. 



5. Sphceria epicymatia, Wallr. (Nyl., Prodr. 85; S. lichenicola, Sommrf; Dur. 

 and Mont. Fl. D'Alger. p. 529, PI. I. No. 130 ; probably also the S. apotheciorum, 

 Mass. Rich. p. 26, fig. 41). 



Parasitic on the epithecium (of the apothecia) of Lecanora albella, Pers., 

 throughout Europe and Northern Africa ; and also, according to Tul. (Mem. Lich. 

 p. 126), on that of Physcia paiietina, L. Interesting from the possession of sper- 

 mogones and pycnides, in addition to perithecia. 



6. Sphasria homostegia, Nyl. (Prodr. 56 ; Bothidea, Syn., 389). 



Parasitic on the thallus of Parmelia sascatilis, Ach., and P. Bo?'reri, Turn. 

 Possesses spermogones. 



7. Sphoeria urceolata, Schser. (Linds. Mem. Spermog. p. 175, Plate IX. fig. 35; 

 Mudd, Manual, p. 267 ; Hepp exs. 475 ; described by some authors as an Endo- 

 carpon or Bacampia). 



Parasitic on the thallus of Verrucaria psoromia, Schser, and Solorina saccata, L. 



8. Sphceria Hookeri, Nyl. (Prod. p. 175). Parasitic on the thallus of Endo- 

 mrpon rufescens, Ach. It would appear to be the same parasite, which occurs 

 so frequently on the thallus of Lecidea Hookeri, Schser. (Nyl. Prodr. 139); 

 which has been confounded with that Lichen in our Scottish Alpine 'Ben Lawers) 



