Massee : Coprophilous Fungi. 



335 



Fungus Foray, the subject was followed up, and in addition to 

 a careful examination of dung- of different indigenous and 

 domestic animals from different parts of Great Britain, the dung 

 of many exotic animals — Lion, Hyaena, Bear, Kangaroo, Ostrich, 

 Crocodile, etc., etc., was also examined, thanks to the kindness 

 of Mr. Bartlett, Superintendent of the Zoolog-ical Gardens, 

 Regent's Park. 



The outcome of this work is, in the first place, the addition 

 of about fifty species to the British Mycologfic Flora ; many of 

 these were already known on the Continent, others, both g-enera 

 and species, proved to be new to science. 



Representatives of all families of fungi grow on dung, and 

 a very interesting- feature is the fact that in many instances the 

 most primitive forms of the different groups occur on this sub- 

 stratum. 



In the Agaricaceae, or gill-bearing- fungi, we meet with the 

 most primitive types of the black-spored species of Coprinus, 

 characterised by the deliquescent gills. Again, in the Ascomy- 

 cetes, the primitive forms included in the order Gymnoascaceae 

 are by no means uncommon, and, although very minute, are in 

 many instances very beautiful, the numerous asci or spore- 

 containing cells being, surrounded by a more or less loose mesh 

 of threads, bearing outgrowths of fantastic forms, the use of 

 which is at present problematical. 



This habit of growing on dung is an acquired one, inasmuch 

 as representatives of some of the families of fungi growing on 

 dung at the present day existed long before the advent of warm- 

 blooded, herbivorous animals, on the dung of which most fungi 

 occur. According to statistics given elsewhere,"''" 708 species of 

 fungi grow on the dung of herbivorous animals, 45 species on 

 that of carnivorus animals, whereas only four species occur on 

 the dung of reptilia. Seventy-four species of fungi are known 

 to grow on rabbit dung. 



One feature common to many ^coprophilous fungi is that the 

 spores are provided with a certain amount of a transparent, 

 gelatinous substance adhering to their surface. This mucilage 

 may appear under the form of tail-like appendages attached to 

 one or both ends of the s.pore, or the entire surface of the spore 

 may be covered with a thick layer of the same substance. The 

 use of this peculiar mucilage is as follows : In Thelebolus 

 stercoral Tode, various species of Ascobolus, Xylaria, and others, 



* 4 Researches on Coprophilous Fun^i,' Geo. Massee and K. S. Salmon ; 

 ' Annals of Botany.' 1 89 1 , p. 313, 3 plates. 

 1901 November r. 



