1224 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters . 
mixed together in spots for a short distance. Under the micro¬ 
scope the two kinds showed no differences. As the yellow kind 
dried or grew old it became white, and no difference is now not¬ 
iceable between the dried specimens. 
Fuligo septica (Linn.) Gmelin. 
1753. Mucor septicus Linn., Sp. PI., II,. no. 1656 (?). 
1791. Fuligo septica (Linn) Gmel., Syst. Nat,, p. 1466. 
Macbride adopts Schaeffer’s name, F. ovata, “Plasmodium 
bright yellow; aBthalium pale brown or yellowish brown, of vari¬ 
able size and shape, one to five inches in diameter, and one half 
an inch to an inch thick, enclosed by a distinct calcareous crust, 
which varies greatly in texture, thickness, and color, anon brown, 
stout, persistent, sometimes thin, bright yellow, scarce recogniz¬ 
able ; capillitium well developed but variable in color and extent; 
spore-mass dull black, sooty; spores spherical, purplish brown, 
smooth, 7-10 fi.” 
Saccardo uses the name F. septica (Linn.) Gmel. He speaks 
of the peridia as forming a common interwoven colored mem¬ 
brane, and says the color varies from deep yellow to white. 
Lister adopts the same name as Saccardo. He calls the sstha- 
lia pulvinate, and adds: “The cortex is sometimes wanting, 
when the surface is grey and marked with brain-like convolu¬ 
tions...Columella none. Capillitium a loose net-work of 
slender hyaline threads more or less expanded at the axils, with 
rounded, fusiform, or branching yellow or whitish lime-knots, 
varying much in size.” He gives the diameter of the spores as 
6 - 10 /*. 
Massee calls this species F. varians Rost. He differs from the 
above-quoted descriptions in no point excepting the diameter of 
the spores, which he gives as 7-11/*. 
The specimens which we have, agree in general with the fore¬ 
going descriptions, the spores, however, being from 7-10/* in dia¬ 
meter. I find the sethalia of my specimens to be from 1 to 5 
inches long and of varying widths. 
This species seems to be quite common throughout the state. 
I have specimens growing upon oak and other bark, moss, grass 
stems, and one aethalium upon an oak leaf. They were found in 
the university campus woods and elsewhere inj Madison in, Octo- 
