314 LISTER : THE HAUNTS OF THE MYCETOZOA. 
this habitat, and they occur chiefly in tropical countries. It 
often happens that plasmodium which lias fed on dead wood 
or leaves may roam away on to soil to fruit, but in some cases 
it is clear that it has been feeding in the soil itself. 
In Epping Forest, Colloderma oculatum, besides its habitat 
on living and dead trees, has repeatedly been found amongst 
moss (Campylopus) on peaty soil, not only near old stumps, but 
also on open heathy ground This, however, can hardly be 
called “ bare earth.” 
On the bare face of a cliff, on the island of Kii, Japan, Mr. 
Minakata found a small form of Badhamia affinis. He de¬ 
scribes its occurring “ in the terrace-like grooves naturally 
formed by sea-waves in a past geologic age, on a rocky 
hillock near the sea ; the insides of these grooves are covered 
with mossy and algal growths, which form therein some scanty 
soil, upon which these Mycetozoa v r ere seated.” He kindly sent 
me the specimen, with a sketch in Indian ink of the unpromising- 
looking situation in which the inconspicuous sporangia were 
obtained. 
An interesting example of a true “ bare earth ” habitat 
was observed by Mr. Petch in Ceylon. He describes finding 
the plasmodium of Physarum gyrosum developing on the 
surface of land which had been prepared for planting Cacao 
seedlings by digging holes, one foot cube. On the sides 
of two of these holes, the creamy white plasmodium was 
noticed emerging in the evening to form small pillars, 
one centimetre high, and about six inches below r the 
surface of the hole ; in the morning all the pillars had 
collapsed into small rosettes which formed almost a con¬ 
tinuous sheet on stones, pieces of glass, and earth. Ceylon 
soil, he w'rites, is notoriously deficient in organic matter, but 
this soil was rather richer than usual. Mr. Petch also describes 
finding Comatricha pulchella frequently ripening on the earthen 
galleries of Termites which overrun dead Erythrina logs ; in 
this case, however, it was dead w r ood, probably, that had 
afforded provender for the plasmodium.. 
Mr. C. O. Farquharson, writing from South Nigeria, refers 
to several species of Mycetozoa emerging from the soil to form 
sporangia, and of his plan of laying traps for them, by placing 
dead leaves or sticks lightly on the plasmodium, “as it is 
