THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
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tuberculous, milky-opalescent, at first gelatinous then mucose, leaving
little or no trace when dry. Hyphae fairly distinct in our specimens 1 to
2μ, branching at the surface. Basidia longitudinally septate, at first
globose, then ovoid 8 to 12 x 6 to 10μ with 2 or 4 stigmata. Spores
globose, in our specimen, 4 to 5μ apiculate. In the French records the
spores are globose or obovate, and measure 4 to 6 x 31/2 to 51/2μ.
In Epping Forest 15th October, 1927, on old log. Previously gathered
in Suffolk and Buckinghamshire, but the record was not published at the
time of the Foray. Said to be common in France on very rotten logs.
This species belongs to a group of Basidiomycetes that has been
considerably added to in recent years. They commonly form hyaline or
delicately coloured thin patches on logs in a very advanced stage of decay."
Miss Lister kindly contributes the following account of the Mycetozoa
found during the Foray :—
" After a week of fine weather, preceded by much rain, the stumps and
fallen wood and heaps of dead leaves in Epping Forest were in a favourable
state for the appearance of Mycetozoa at the time of our Fungus Foray.
Under thick hollies the sporangia of Didymium squamulosum and D. nigripes
abounded, and the disturbed, leaves gave off the strong mealy odour
characteristic of plasmodium. Under the guidance of Mr. J. Ross some
of the party were shown tree trunks where Colloderma oculatum could be
seen in all stages among moist moss and liverworts, four or five feet from
the ground. Among the more interesting species recorded were Craterium
aureum, an abundant growth of Physarum bitectum, whose white com-
pressed sporangia can hardly be distinguished in the field from those of
P. sinuosum, Stemonitis confluens forming a sheet 3 x 1.5 inches (maturing
indoors from the white stage), Liceopsis lobata, on oak wood, with spores
showing unusually close reticulation, and Arcyria ferruginea having
capillitium marked only with scattered spines. Our rarest species was a
was found by Mr. Ross on a dead holly leaf, and consisted of a flat snow-
white plasmodiocarp, about 5 mm. across ; it was given into my charge,
and unfortunately was lost before the day was over, but I think there can
be no doubt as to the identification. In this species the fragile eggshell-
like crust which clothes the sporangium readily breaks away, leaving the
dark mass of spores and capillitium exposed."
The following is the list of the twenty-five species that were found :—
Badhamia utricularis (Bull.) Berk.
Physarum nutans Pers, and var. robustum Lister.
P. bitectum Lister.
Fuligo septica Gmelin.
Leocarpus fragilis (Dicks.) Rost.
Craterium minutum (Leers) Fries.
C. aureum (Schum.) Rost.
Didymium squamulosum (A. & S.) Fries.
D. nigripes Fries.
D. Listeri Massee.
specimen of Didymium Listeri Massee,* a new record for the county. It
* This is the species we have been accustomed to call D. dubium Rost., but it has been found
that Rostafinski's type is an Alpine four, named later by M. Ch. Mcyler D. W.Icrekii. For the
present lowland species the name D. Listeri, given it by Massee, in 1892, must therefore be
adopted. See Journal of Botany, lxiv., 226 (1926).