size of the receptacle and the colourless and numerous sporidia.

Name-puπapós, dirty, Bíos, life; living on dung.

4.

Hairs short, rough; sporidia 32

Crouani.

Hairs soft; sporidia 64; cups globose, then ap

planate

argenteus.

A. EXTERIOR OF CUP SMOOTH.

(a) Margin not ciliated.

1. Ryparobius Cookei. (Crouan.)

Very much crowded, rarely scattered, extremely minute, hemispherical, glabrous, fulvous, paler at the base; margin irregularly paler; hymenium plane, whitish or pallid-fulvous, papillate from the exserted asci; sporidia 64, oblong-elliptic, hyaline, scarcely acute, 8-10 × 4-5μ; paraphyses scarce, hyaline, septate, scarcely thickened at the apices. (Plate IX. fig. 57.)

Ascobolus Cookei-Crouan, "Flo. Finn.," p. 56, fig. 3; Cooke, "Grevillea," i. p. 132. Ryparobius Cookei-Boud., Ascob.," p. 48, t. 9, f. 24. Ascobolus myriadeus-Karst., Fung. Fenn.," exs. No. 552. Ascobolus polysporus— Auers. in "Hedwig.," 1868, p. 51. Ascobolus crustaceus -Fckl., "Symb. Myco.," p. 288; Karst., "Mon. Pez.," p. 208; Pezizula crustacea-Karst., " Myco. Fenn.," p. 81.

Exs.-Fckl., " F. Rh.," No. 1858; Karst., "Fung. Fenn.," No. 552.

On cow and rabbit dung.

Cups 100 to 200μ broad.

Name After Dr. M. C. Cooke.

Near Hereford (Mr. J. Renny). Near London (Dr. M. C. Cooke). Near Bath (Mr. Č. E. Broome). Forres, N.B.! (Rev. Dr. Keith).

2. Ryparobius dubius. Boud.

Scattered, excessively minute, often immersed, rotundate, pallid-grey or fulvous; hymenium convex, pellucid, immarginate; asci oblong or oblong-ovate, hyaline, obtuse at the base, or slightly attenuated; sporidia 128 (?), elliptic, hyaline, subacute; paraphyses none or very rare, short, hyaline, septate.

Ryparobius dubius-Boud., "Ascob.," t. 10, f. 26 B. and Br., “Ann. Sc. Nat.," No. 1392; Cooke, “ Grevillea,' ii. p. 163; Bucknall, "Fung. Bristol," pt. 2, p. 349.

On horse and rabbit dung.

This is the smallest and least visible species of the genus, being difficult to discover even with the aid of a lens. It is distinguished from its congeners by its numerous sporidia, its being generally paler in colour, immersed, always scattered, and having asci not narrowed at the base into a stem.

Name-Dubius, doubtful.

Leigh Downs, near Bristol! (Mr. C. Bucknall). Bathford (Mr. C. E. Broome).

(b) Margin ciliated.

3. Ryparobius Crouani. (Renny.)

Very minute, at first clear white, then whitish, fragile, sessile, hemispherical, glabrous, exterior of cup formed of a single series of cells; margin ciliated with a single series of short, rough, subacuminate hairs; asci broadly clavate; sporidia 32, oblong-fusiform, obtuse at the ends, hyaline, smooth; paraphyses not seen.

Ascozonus Crouani-Renny in "Trans. Woolhope

Club," 1873, p. 130, t. 3, f. 6-10; and "Jour. Bot.," 1874, p. 356, t. 154, f. 6–10.

On rabbit-dung. Autumn.

Cups, rarely 100, of an inch broad, formed of a single layer of subcubical cells, with a single row of sharp, pointed hairs, often roughened on their sides about to of the whole height; disc plane, granulate; asci narrower than usual; sporidia normally 32, oblongo-fusiform. To be distinguished from A. cunicularis by the shorter and tapering rough cilia, as well as by the thinness and transparency of the walls (Renny).

Name After M.M. Crouan fréres.
Hereford (Mr. James Renny).

4. Ryparobius argenteus. B. and Br.

Very minute, at first globose, then applanate, silverywhite, ciliated with soft hairs; asci short, broad, sporidiferous; cysts elliptic, seated towards the apex; sporidia 64, fusiform, hyaline, smooth, 17 x 7·6μ; paraphyses filiform, furcate, tips slightly enlarged.

Ryparobius argenteus-B. and Br. in "Ann. Nat. Hist.," No. 1394; "Grevillea," ii. 163. Ascozonus cunicularius-Renny, "Trans. Woolhope Club," 1873, p. 129, t. i, f. 1-4; and "Jour. Bot.," 1874, p. 355, t. 155, f. 1-4. On rabbit-dung, for the most part attached to filaments of Mucor.

Cups 100μ across, scarcely visible to the naked eye; asci opening with a little lid, which splits vertically. Comes near to R. felinus (Boud.), but has soft hairs, and is of a pure white (B. and Br.). But for the colourless sporidia, this, as well as Nos. 6 and 7, should belong to Saccobolus, on account of the "sporidiferous cysts." Name-Argentum, silver, having a silvery appear

ance.

Near Hereford (Mr. Renny).

5. Ryparobius Leveilleanus. (Renny.)

Very minute, shortly stipitate, silvery white; stem formed of rounded, prominent cells; body of cup of

smaller, much-flattened cells; margin ciliated with a single row of short irregular hairs; hymenium papillate; asci very broad, tapering below, with an umbonate operculum; sporidia 64 to 96, oblong-fusiform, obtuse at the ends, hyaline, smooth; paraphyses not seen.

Ascozonus Leveilleanus-Renny in "Trans. Woolhope Club," 1873, p. 130, f. 1-5. A. Leveillei-Renny, "Jour. Bot.," 1874, p. 356, t. 154, f. 1–5,

On rabbit-dung. Winter.

Cups to 120 of an inch wide (Renny).
Name After J. H. Lèveillé.
Hereford (Mr. J. Renny).

B. EXTERIOR HAIRY.

6. Ryparobius Woolhopensis. Renny.

Minute, scattered, at first pure white, then dingy; cups with a thick stem-like base, which is tuberculate, covered with close-set hairs, which fringe the margin, at length expanding, the hairs disappearing with age; substance of base vesicular; asci broadly clavate, sporidiferous, cysts seated towards the apices; sporidia 64, broadly fusiform, hyaline, smooth, 17-18 x 5μ; para physes filiform, stout, simple.

Ryparobius Woolhopensis (Renny)-B. and Br. in "Ann. Nat. Hist.," No. 1395; "Grevillea," ii. p. 163. Ascozonus Woolhopensis-Renny, "Trans. Woolhope Club," 1873, p. 130; and "Jour. Bot.," 1874, p. 356, t. 153. On bird-dung, mixed with filaments of Mucor, and mostly borne by them.

Cups a line (041) wide and high.

Name After the Woolhope Field Club.
Hereford (Mr. James Renny).

7. Ryparobius subhirtus. (Renny.)

Minute, sessile, hemispherical, pure white, nearly transparent, dotted with short unequal hairs, which are mostly connate in pairs or threes; margin ciliated; hymenium flat, coarsely papillate; asci very wide, oblong,

narrowed at the base, somewhat 'abruptly, to a point; sporidia about 128 (not less), elliptic, hyaline, smooth, collected at length into an ovoid mass in the upper part of the ascus; paraphyses not seen.

Ascozonus subhirtus-Renny in "Trans. Woolhope Club," 1873, p. 131, t. 2, f. 4-7; and "Jour. Bot.," 1874, p. 357, t. 155, f. 4-7.

On rabbit-dung. Autumn.

Name-Sub, somewhat, hirtus, hairy.
Hereford (Mr. James Renny).

8. Ryparobius parvisporus. (Renny.)

Very minute, fragile, somewhat more fleshy than other species, white and brilliant at first, then duller, with a faintly vinous tinge; substance formed of bladdery polygonal cells, unequal in size, and often projecting in hair-like threads; margin unevenly fringed with somewhat roughened subulate hairs, often in a partly double row; hymenium at first flat, then filled with the prominent, broadly clavate asci; sporidia 16 to 24, elliptic, hyaline, smooth; paraphyses filiform, stout, septate.

Ascozonus parvisporus-Renny in "Trans. Woolhope Club," 1873, p. 131, t. 3, f. 1–5; and "Jour. Bot.," 1874, p. 356, t. 156, f. 1-5.

On rabbit-dung. Autumn.

Name-Parvus, small, sporus, a spore.
Hereford (Mr. James Renny).

Receptacle sessile, pilose, pruinose, or glabrous; hymenium plane or convex, rarely marginate; asci broadly clavate, or rarely oblong-ovate; hyaline or very faintly coloured, opening by a conspicuous, rotund, often recurved operculum; sporidia 8 or 16, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, hyaline or at the most very faintly tinted, when young singly surrounded with gelatine, smooth or rarely very minutely punctate. (Plate IX. fig. 58.)