THE MYCETOZOA: A SHORT HISTORY
OF THEIR STUDY IN BRITAIN; AN
ACCOUNT OF THEIR HABITATS
GENERALLY; AND A LIST OF SPECIES
RECORDED FROM ESSEX.
I.—The Study of Mycetozoa in Britain.
THE Mycetozoa, classed formerly with fungi, but now
usually regarded as belonging to the Protozoa in the ani-
mal kingdom, are probably an ancient family. No fossil record
has yet been obtained of them, but this is not surprising, con-
sidering the almost ephemeral character of their sporangia when
subject to the usual wear and tear of wind and weather. Even
at the present day, with all facilities for hunting for Mycetozoa,
we find that special conditions and seasons are needed for their
perfect development and that in searching for them much
patience has often to be exercised. Yet we may still cherish
the hope that just the right combination of circumstances may
have occurred in the far past to lead to the preservation in
perhaps some ancient peat-bed of a bit of fossil wood bearing
tufts of the comparatively substantial columnar sporangia
of a Stemonitis, or clusters of round Trichia fruits, with their
spiral-marked elaters.
But, whatever may have been the distribution of Mycetozoa
in ancient days, we may picture with some certainty their return
to our island at the close of the last glacial period, when vegeta-
tion again appeared on the thawing ground as the ice retreated
That these adaptable creatures sometimes thrive in a severe
climate is proved by many species having been found in high