335 
Coprophilous Fungi . 
Sordaria anserina , Wint., Deutsch. Sordar., 99, Taf. XI, Fig. 20 
(1873); Sacc. Syll. Fung, i, 238 (1882); Wint in Rab. Krypt.-Fl. 
DeutschL, Bd. i, Abth. 2, 173 (1887). 
Perithecia gregarious, up to | mm. high, semi-immersed, blackish- 
brown, rugulose, basal part subglobose narrowed upwards into a long 
or short curved rather thick bluntly conical neck, which bears a tuft 
of hairs below the apex on one side, hairs bristle-like long rigid dark 
brown, each usually composed of a fascicle of slender hyphae, 100- 
250 (rarely 350 ) n long, 3-5 p wide; asci cylindrical, attenuated below 
into a rather long pedicel, about 280x25-30 /*, 4-spored ; spores 
uniseriate, ovate to broadly ovate, 36-44 x 18-22 /*, provided at the 
more or less truncate basal end with a definite hyaline appendage 
about equalling the spore in length. 
Hab. — On Goose-dung, Royal Gardens, Kew, England, Nov. 1900 ; 
on dung of Giraffe ( Camelopardalis giraffa ) and Kangaroo ( Macropus 
giganteus ), Kew, Dec. 1900. 
{Distrib.— Germany and N. Italy ; on dung of Goose, Cow, Sheep, 
Horse, and Rabbit.) 
S. anserina is easily distinguished among the Sordariae by its 
perithecia possessing towards the base of the curved beak, on one 
side only (the convex side), a conspicuous tuft of bristle-like hairs, 
and by its 4-spored asci. Winter records cases where only two 
spores occurred in the ascus ; in such cases the ascus is much shorter 
than the normal tetrasporous one, while each of the two spores is 
twice the usual size. The external perithecial wall of S, anserina 
appears frequently to have a rather curious structure, being irregu- 
larly marked with peculiar dark-coloured thickened portions on a 
pale membrane, and so is not truly cellular. The same structure is 
often found in S. se/osa, Wint. The spores when young have appen- 
dages at both ends, but at maturity the basal end only, which is more 
or less truncate, possesses a rather thick appendage about equalling 
the length of the spore. 
S. minima, Sacc. and Speg. (Fig. 1 1). 
A. minima , Sacc. and Speg., in Mich, i, 373 (1878); Fung. Ital. 
t. 617 (1879). 
Hypocopra minima , Sacc. Syll. Fung, i, 244 (1882). 
Perithecia more or less superficial, very small, about 100x80 fx, 
broadly ovate, glabrous, perithecial wall membranous, thin, very pale 
brown or almost colourless, translucent, cells about 5 fx wide ; asc few, 
