( 297 ) 
AFEICAN MYXOMYCETES. 
By a. Y. Duthie. 
In this preliminary paper an attempt has been made to compile a list 
of the species of Myxomycetes previously recorded from Africa in various 
journals and monographs, and also to record forms which have been 
accessible to or collected by myself. 
The collections of the Mycological Herbarium, Pretoria, have been 
placed at my disposal, and for this privilege I must express my indebtedness 
to Mr. Pole Evans ; I have also to thank Dr. Schonland for furnishing 
me with a list of the forms represented in the collection of the 
Eev. C. Kalchbrenner, for which MacOwan and Wood were partly or 
entirely responsible. 
Apparently the South African Myxomycetes are still very imperfectly 
known, and their investigation is attended with much difficulty. The 
specimens are usually of small size, easily confused with fungus growths, 
and not readily recognised by the layman. Consequently one is dependent 
for material chiefly on the opportunity of examining museum collections 
or on the results of one's own excursions. Unfortunately there are no 
collections at any of our museums, and the only collections accessible 
are those at the Pretoria Herbarium and MacOwan' s collection now in 
Dr. Schonland's possession. 
While the distinguishing characters of certain species are well marked 
and alter little with locality and habitat, those of others are more variable. 
This variation in many of the forms makes specific determination practically 
impossible in view of the absence of large collections for the purpose of 
comparison, and the dearth of accessible literature. 
The specimens collected by myself have been obtained chiefly from the 
Knysna and Stellenbosch districts. Forms sent to me from other districts 
are noted accordingly in the list of species. 
There are, as noted in Lister's and Massey's Monographs, representatives 
of 10 South African genera and 14 species in the British Museum and 
Kew Herbarium. About 22 species have been recorded from time to time 
from the Cape Province and Natal (see Journ. Bot. May, 1916, p. 125). 
I have found in the limited areas traversed, all the above genera, with 
the exception of Trichamphora, Craterium, and Mucilago, and many of 
