©he 



botanical (Bawttc. 



CAMBRIDGE, MASS, 



July 24.1891. 



Ify dear Deane:-- 



The little specimen that you send is the fructification of 

 one of the Myxomycetes or slime moulds. In their vegetative condition 

 they are naked masses of protoplasm which crawl about over and through 

 rotting logs, damp soil , tan-bark , etc . by amoeboid movements. Sometimes 

 these Plasmodia (as the veg. stage is called) are as broad as one's 2 



hands. One common species is canary ye How ml I n i i I and about the 



consistency of starch pa;te. When about to fruit they crawl up crass, 

 twigs, etc. ^lo se a great part of their moisture and differentiate into 

 the hard (relatively) skeletal parts which remain in this specimen, 

 called the capillitium,and the spores. This one' is a Stemonitis prob- 

 ably fusca. It is common as slime moulds go, but few people see any 

 of them, even the commonest. 



I have just returned from an afternoon tea that Miss Newell gave 

 to the botany- summer- schoolers ,5-~7. Miss N. asked the Ganongs , Mr. Ber- 

 gen and us to stay to supper after the rest went and we had a charming 

 evening because a congenial crowd. 



Mary had another return of her neuralgia this month but was able 

 wo write a long letter the next day. Formerly they used her up for 

 several days. In spite of these backsets she has such strong assur- 

 ances from outsiders as well as physicians and nurses that she is im- 

 proving that we can hardly doubt it; indeed she recognizes it clearly. 

 But she wants to get home and it is quite possible that we will go 



before long. I shall know in a week. Fernald back, with loads of 



plants, mosses and other. ---Miss Clark takes a week off nextr--Dr.W.,O.K . 



