Researches on Coprophilous Fungi. 
BY 
GEORGE MASSEE, F.L.S., 
Herbarium , Royal Gardens , Hew, 
AND 
ERNEST S. SALMON, F.L.S. 
With Plates XVII and XVIII, 
NTIL recently the systematic side of Mycology has 
received most attention in Britain, a fact which probably 
accounts for the absence of any specific work on Coprophilous 
or dung-borne Fungi, many of which, as the species of 
Gymnoascus , Theleholus , Microascus , &c., on account of being 
the most primitive representatives of their respective groups, 
are perhaps more interesting from a morphological than 
a purely systematic standpoint. A second reason may lie 
in the fact that many of the species are so very minute that 
their presence cannot be detected in the field ; in fact it is 
only after considerable experience that they can be seen under 
the most favourable conditions of illumination, and as their 
duration is in many instances ephemeral the only chance of 
success is by keeping the material upon which they grow in 
the laboratory, where a daily examination can be made. 
Even from a systematic standpoint our investigations have 
shown that a careful study of the Fungi growing on the dung 
[Annals of Botany, Vol. XV. No. LVIII. June, 1901.] 
