130 Proceedings of the Koyal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
XIII. — Phycomycetous Fungi from the English Lower Coal 
Measures. By David Ellis, Ph.D., D.Sc. (With One Plate and 
Eight Text-Figures.) 
(Read May 7, 1917. Final MS. received February 20, 1918.) 
In Meschinelli’s Iconograpliia (5) mention is made, and a short description 
given, of eleven species of fossil Phycomycetous fungi. Since the publica- 
tion of this book, additions to the list have been made by Oliver (7), Weiss 
(12), Magnus (4), and the present writer (3). Altogether, therefore, fifteen 
species have been described which could definitely be assigned to the 
Phycomycetes. With such small data at our disposal it is evident that 
the time is not yet ripe for the framing of general propositions regarding 
the history of the Phycomycetes in past ages, and more especially as the 
information that we possess concerning several of these fifteen species 
is very meagre. 
The present paper gives the results of a systematic search in the Lower 
Coal Measures for fossilised fungi. In the fossilised vegetable debris of 
this horizon it is not unusual to meet with fragments of fungal threads 
when these are especially sought for; it was only when the remains of 
the hyphse and attached structures emerged from the rest with specific 
clearness that they were studied in detail. In the following pages two 
fungi are described which can indubitably be placed in the Phycomycetes. 
The majority of the thirty slides subjected to examination were prepared 
from coal petrifactions from the Upper Foot Mine, Shore, Littleborough. 
This mine is in the Lower Coal Measures, Littleborough being situated 
fourteen miles E. of Manchester, on the border of Lancashire and York- 
shire. The same seam of coal is worked at Dulesgate, Todmorden, 
Lancashire. One of the fungi ( Peronosporites gracilis ) was found in 
petrifactions both from Shore and from Dulesgate. Specimens from 
Altofts, Normanton, Yorkshire (Middle Coal Measures), and from Deighton, 
near Huddersfield, Yorkshire (Halifax Hard Bed), did not yield any positive 
results beyond the finding of a few fungal fragments. 
For purposes of comparison, the Williamson slides of Peronosporites 
antiquarius at the British Museum have been examined, thanks to the 
courtesy of the Keeper of Geology, Dr A. Smith Woodward ; and through 
the kindness of Prof. I. Bayley Balfour, the writer has been able to examine 
the Cash and Hick slides at the Edinburgh Botanic Museum. Thanks are 
