108 



Mycologia 



our fungus as Pachyma in the absence of any fructifications 

 known in his fungus ; moreover our sclerotia were never white 

 nor fleshy within. 



The "native" or "black fellows" bread (3) of Australia and 

 Tasmania {Poly poms Mylittae Mass.) also disagrees in descrip- 

 tion with our specimen. Then there is the specimen of MoUer 

 from southern Brazil, Polyporus Sapiirema, with a sclerotium up 

 to 40 lbs. in weight, apparently quite different from the Canadian 

 specimen (4). 



In Italy, " pietra fungaia," or the sclerotium of the fungus 

 Polyporus tuberaster (Jacq.) Fries (5), seems to have received 

 the most attention and excellent descriptions have been made. 

 For a reference to the latest description of this fungus (6) we 

 are greatly indebted to Professor Farlow, who with usual cour- 

 tesy was good enough to copy for us the description therein given. 



While our fungus is close to P. tuberaster, our sclerotia appar- 

 ently differ very greatly from those of the former. The tubes in 

 our form were never white, but yellowish from an early stage. 

 The pores in our specimen are large and angular, in P. tuberaster 

 small and round, though later becoming angular. 



C. G. Lloyd (7), who speaks of specimens he has seen in 

 Europe, states that P. tuberaster does not really have a true 

 sclerotium. The hard masses are formed of earth, cemented into 

 a stone-like body by the mycelium of the fungus. In this connec- 

 tion all descriptions of the sclerotia of P. tuberaster agree, but 

 our sclerotia are quite different in structure and do not in any 

 way resemble masses of earth cemented by fungus mycelium. We 

 have occasionally observed masses of this description, some more 

 like a sclerotium than others, but all of them altogether different 

 from the Canadian Tuckahoe. 



From a general survey of the forms to which this polypore may 

 be referred, it would seem that the European P. cristatus Fr. 

 bears considerable resemblance to it. 



C. G. Lloyd, with usual candor, places himself on record as 

 considering P. cristatus as probably identical with the American 

 species P. flavo-virens Berk, et Rav., to which our form certainly 

 comes very close. 



