118 
ENDOSPOREiE. 
[COMATRICHA. 
with the evanescent sporangium-wall by short points. Spores 
brownish -violtt, nearl}' smooth, or minutely and closely spinulose, 
7 to 11 /A diam. Stemonitis ohtusata Fr., Symb. Gast., p. 17 
(1818). Gomatricha alta Preuss, in Linnaja, xxiv., p. 141. 
Stemonitis nigra Pers., in Gmel., Syst. Nat., p. 1467 (1791). 
Gomatricha nigra Schroet., Pilze Schles., i., p. 118 (1889) ; Blytt, 
Bidr. K. Norg., Sop. iii., p. 8. Stemonitis Friesiana de Bary, in 
Eabenh., Fungi Europ., No. 568 .(1863); Mass., Mon., p.' 82. 
Gomatricha Friesiana Rost., Mon., p. 199 (1875); Cooke, Myx. 
Brit., p. 48. G. subcaispitosa Peck, in Rep. N. York Mus., xliii., 
p. 25. Stemonitis suhccespitosa Mass., Mon., p. 80. Gomatricha 
cequalis Peck, in Rep. N. York Mus., xxxi., p. 42. Stemonitis 
cequalis Mass., Mon., p. 80. Gomatricha Suksdorfii Ellis & Everh, ; 
N. Am. Fungi Exs. Stemonitis Suksdorjii Mass., Mon., p. 76. 
Plate XLIV., B. — a. sporangia of various forms, x 3| ; J. sporangia with 
spores dispersed, showing capillitium, x 20 ; c. capillitium with flexuose 
thi'eads, forming a loose tangled network, x 180 ; d. capillitium with much 
branching flexuose threads forming a close network, x 180 ; e. capillitium 
with threads uniting to form a superficial net more or less parallel with the 
sm-face, x 180 ; /. spore, x 600 (England). 
A very abundant species in Europe, and subject to much variation 
in the shape and size of the sporangium. C. cequalis Peck has 
cylindrical sporangia about 3 mm. long, and stalks of the same length ; 
the capillitium and spores, 7 fj. diam., agree with those of C. obtusata, 
from elongated forms of which C. ceqicalis cannot be distinguished. 
C. suhccespitosa Peck is a small delicate form, 2 mm. in height, with 
sporangia ellipsoid, and capillitium a network of slender flexuose violet- 
brown threads, forming a more or less distinct superficial net in the 
lower part ; the spores are almost smooth, and measure 10 to 11 /ii ; 
although an unusually short-stalked delicate form, it presents no 
characters by which it can be separated from C. obtusata. C. Suks- 
dorfii Ellis & Everh. is about the same height as C. cequalis ; the 
capillitium is very dense, but not more so than is frequently seen in 
globose sporangia of C. ohtusata ; the spores are unusually dark and 
large, 10 to 11 ; the tone of colour and the distribution of the minute 
warts are, however, the same as iu the last-named species, from which 
it is not otherwise to be distinguished ; a similar form has been found 
in England, with spores 8 to 10 diam. C. ceqiuilis Peck, C. suh- 
ccespitosa Peck, and C. Suksdorfii are represented in the British Museum 
by glycerine jelly mountings from type specimens furnished by 
Dr. Eex. 
Hab. On dead wood. — Batheaston, Somerset (B. M. 220) ; Lyme 
Regis, Dorset (L:B.M.87) ; Boynton, Yorkshire (B. M. 1095)'; France 
(Paris Herb.) ; Germany (B. M. 605) ; Finland (B. M. G12) ; Poland 
(Strassb. Herb.) ; Philadelphia (L:B.M.87). 
2. C. laxa Rost., Mon., p. 201 (1875). Plasmodium watery- 
white, in rotten wood. Total height, 1-5 to 3*5 mm. Sporangia 
subglobose or shortly cylindrical, obtuse, scattered or gregarious. 
Stalk black, shining, often stout, 0-3 to 0-6 mm. long. Columella 
reaching nearly to the apex of the sporangium, narrowed up- 
wards. Capillitium lax, the primary threads springing somewhat 
distantly from all parts of the columella, at first straight or 
