L. Damazio, Brazil, sends Calvatia lilacina, a frequent plant of 
world wide distribution. I was also glad to get from him a nice collec¬ 
tion of Lycoperdon oblongisporum which I had previously received 
from no one. It is the only Lycoperdon known with truly oblong spores. 
We have in the United States a very similar species with spores not 
round but oval which’ has been determined as L. oblongisporum, but I 
am satisfied since seeing the particular spores of L. oblongisporum in 
the herbarium at Kew that it is different from our plant. The true 
species is known only from the West Indies and Brazil. 
R. L. Proudlock, British India, favors us with a fine collection 
of Scleroderma aurantium, just as it grows both in Europe and 
America. It is a common plant but these are unusually fine specimens. 
If we could interest the botanists generally in British India to gather 
and send us the “puff balls” they find in the quantity and condition 
that Mr. Proudlock sends these we would then be in position to issue 
an illustrated pamphlet on the subject which would enable the botanists 
of British India to determine readily the species as they find them. 
Wm. Gollan, British India, also sends us Geaster hygromet- 
ricus. We have seen no specimens of this plant from Australia, but with 
this exception we have noted collections from almost the world entire. 
W. R. Guilfoyle, Australia, favors us with a fine specimen of 
Mycenastrum Corium and with Geaster saccatus. Mycenastrum 
corium is a common plant in Australia and the only species known to 
grow there. Both the species “described” from that country we are 
assured from examination of the types are only conditions of it. 
F. M. Reader, Australia also sends Mycenastrum corium, 
Phellorina australe, Lycoperdon close to dermoxantha and a Lyco¬ 
perdon which we shall call L. nigrum. We are particularly glad to 
get Phellorina australe, this being the first specimen we have received 
and the only good specimen we have seen. The “type” is little more 
than an empty old peridium. Lycoperdon nigrum can perhaps be 
best described as a black form of Lycoperdon polymorphum with the 
same spores, capillitium and compact sterile base ; it differs only in the 
notably black peridium. We shall consider it as a black form or sub¬ 
species of L. polymorphum. 
H. F. McMillan, Ceylon, favors us with a specimen of Calvatia 
Gardneri, described (1875) as Lycoperdon Gardneri from a specimen 
from the same locality. In studying the Calvatias of India, all of 
which were described as Lycoperdons (viz: Lycoperdon Gardneri, 
Lycoperdon sericellum and Lycoperdon crassum) we are impressed with 
two facts. All have a reddish tinge to the gleba, and the spores of all 
are not perfectly round but slightly elliptical. We think all are virtu¬ 
ally the same plant, though differing in habits. One specimen (that 
we take also to be the same) has the gleba so red that we find it class¬ 
ed as “Bovista bicolor”, a species not otherwise related but noted for 
the reddish color of its gleba. 
J. G. O. Tepper, Australia, sends us we think, a bleached 
specimen of Geaster Schmidelii; Geaster minimus, typically as we 
have it in America; Mycenastrum corium; Tylostomas scanty and 
doubtful; and a very interesting little Calvatia which we at first 
thought was undescribed. We have since learned the rare plant of 
Europe, Calvatia Candida, which is so close that we shall want to make 
a comparative study before deciding. 
O. G. LLOYD, 
107 Boulevard St. Michel, 
PARIS, FRANCE. 
