2 50-ARACHNION ALBUM. 
(Plate 16.) 
But one .species is really known of this genus, Arachnion album, 
and that was described by Schweinitz (*), It is a very small plant, 
rarely being over 1 cm. in diameter, and usually half that size. 
The peridium is smooth, very thin fragile, and easily breaks 
into fragments (f). The peridioles, irregular in shape and size from 
150 to 250 mic., and under a microscope have a ragged appearance, 
the membrane being composed of loosely woven hyphse (J). Mixed 
with the ripe peridioles are fragments of hyphse threads, thick, often 
septate, but these, I think, are not true capillitium, but rather loose 
threads from the peridioles. The little peridioles are filled with spores 
(§), smooth, globose, often apiculate, small. 3-4 mic. 
Specimens in our Collection 
Texas , W. H. hong, Jr. Ohio , A. P. Morgan, C. G. hloyd. Massachusetts, 
Geo. B. Fessenden. 
We think this plant is not so rare as its scanty representation in our collection 
would indicate, but that is generally overlooked on account of its small size. 
Spegazzini states it is common in South America, and Patouillard has told me that 
he has received specimens from the West Indies. 
In addition to specimens listed above, we have specimens from F. J. Braendle, 
Washington, D. C., and Mrs. E. B. Blackford, Boston, that appear to us to be dif¬ 
ferent, being yellow inside when immature, and having thick capillitium threads 
mixed with the peridioles. At the time we received them we thought they were 
only a condition of Arachnion album, but now are disposed to think otherwise. 
They will be further considered in the future. 
251—NOTES ON THE GEASTERS 
An author goes to work and fixes up the characters of the 
various species from material at hand, and thinks he has the subject 
all straightened out. The trouble is that plants are perverse, and will 
not confine themselves to the characters authors think they should. 
You get the distinction between two “species” clear in your 
mind, and along comes a lot of specimens exactly intermediate, and 
you do not know to which to refer them. Dr. Hollos has a very sim¬ 
ple method of solving all such problems. In genera like Mycenastrum 
and Polysaccum when the “species” grade into each other, he 
throws them all without distinction into one species (||). This is an easy 
way of disposing of a very troublesome subject. If we should con¬ 
solidate all the Geasters of which intermediate forms reach us from 
time to time, we will eventually have but one species of Geaster. 
The less a man knows about these things, the more he thinks he 
knows. The more scanty the material from which he works the 
clearer the species are (to him). These thoughts are strongly 
impressed on us from studying a lot of Geasters received from W. H. 
Tong, Jr., Texas. It is a section from which we had previously very 
little material, and many of the forms Mr. Tong sends are puzzles to us. 
(*) Arachnion Bovista and Arachnion Drummondii are little more than nominee nudce, and 
Arachnion aurantiacum is simply a guess based on Rafinesque’s vaporings, and is far more 
probably Scleroderma flavidum. 
(t) Owing to its fragile nature, it is difficult to preserve perfect specimens unless they are 
very carefully handled. 
( + ) Very different from the smooth, firm peridioles of Nidulariaeeae. 
0.) Easily seen by crushing the peridiole with a cover glass on a slide. 
( ) In a letter just received, he writes me he has reduced all species of Battarrea to a single 
species. 
142 
