132 
ON THE PILOBOLIDiE. 
the transparent vase. Let glistening strings of orient pearls 
liang round in graceful festoons, and imagine the whole 
of this priceless work reduced in size till the total height 
exceeds not a twentieth of an inch. To complete the contrast, 
thickly strew these fairy jewels on the half-dried surface of a 
cake of cow dung, and you have imitated nature as far as 
your powers allow. To mortals this treasure is known by the 
name of Pilobolus, and the particular species which I have 
pictured is called Pilobolus Kleinii. In order to see these tiny 
gems in all their beauty, the fungus must be viewed while in 
good condition, with a lin. objective and abundance of light. 
Of the genus Pilobolus there are recorded in the Handbook 
of British Fungi two species only, P. cnjstallinus and P. roridus, 
and no additions have been made, so far as I am aware, to 
this list of British species. The number of species now 
described as occurring in Europe is seven, besides two placed 
in an allied genus, Pilaira, one of which was formerly consi¬ 
dered a Pilobolus. Thus, out of nine species, seven were 
unknown in Britain ; of these seven the present paper records 
three which I have found in this neighbourhood, as well as one 
species hitherto undescribed which will appear in the sequel. 
When the second edition of the Handbook is published it 
will differ from the first, if it reflects the present state of 
mycological knowledge, not only in containing an enormous 
number of new species, but in presenting a radical change 
in the main classification of the groups. To revert for a 
moment to the two instances which I have already brought 
before the notice of this Society—in the first place, the 
Myxomycetes will be far removed from the Gastromycetes, 
amongst which they are there stationed, being in fact 
relegated to almost the lowest position in the fungal scale, 
while the Gastromycetes will continue in their present 
position as a group closely allied to the Hymenomycetes. 
Again, the Pucciniacei and their allies (which form the 
Uredinese and Ustilaginese) will be widely separated from 
those species with which they are at present classed in the 
Coniomycetes, while the Torulacei will be absorbed in the 
Hyphomycetes, into which, as I hope to show on a future 
occasion, they graduate insensibly. The Sphseronemei and 
Melanconiei alone will remain, and, although the name 
Coniomycetes may be properly retained for them, yet it will 
have lost so great a part of the meaning which it has hitherto 
borne that in all probability it will be allowed to lapse into 
oblivion. 
I have now to bring before your notice another instance 
of a similar character. The English system, true to its 
