The plants under this head belong to the slime-moulds and at first are wholly gelatinous. All the species and genera are small and easily overlooked, yet they are intensely interesting when carefully observed. In the morning you may see a mass of gelatinous matter and in the evening a beautiful net work of threads and spores, the transformation being so rapid. This gelatinous mass is known as protoplasm or plasmodium, and the motive power of the plasmodium has suggested to many that they should be placed in the animal kingdom, or called fungus animals. The same is true of Schizomycetes, to which all the bacteria, bacillus, spirillum, and vibrio, and a number of other groups belong. I have only a few Myxomycetes to present. I have watched the development of a number of plants of this group, but because of the scarcity of literature upon the subject I have been unable to identify them satisfactorily.

Lycogala epidendrum. Fr.

This is called the Stump Lycogala. It is quite common, seeming in a certain stage to be a small puffball. The peridium has a double membrane, papery, persistent, bursting irregularly at the apex; externally minutely warty, nearly round, blood-red or pinkish, then brownish; mouth irregular; spores becoming pale, or violet.

Reticularia maxima. Fr.

This is quite common on partially decayed logs. The peridium is very thin, tuberculose, effused, delicate, olivaceous-brown; spores olive, echinulate or spiny.

Didymius xanthopus. Fr.

These are very small yellow-stemmed plants, found on oak leaves in wet weather. The sporangium has an inner membranaceous peridium; the whole is round, brown, whitish. The stem is elongated, even, yellow. The columella is stipitate into the sporangia.

D. cinereum. Fr.

Sporangia sessile, round, whitish, covered with an ashy-gray scurf. Spores black. Very small. On fallen oak leaves. Easily overlooked.

Xylaria. Schrank.

Xylaria means pertaining to wood. It is usually vertical, more or less stipitate. The stroma is between fleshy and corky, covered with a black or rufous bark.

Xylaria polymorpha. Grev.

Polymorpha means many forms. It is nearly fleshy, a number usually growing together, or gregarious; thickened as if swollen, irregular; dirty-white, then black; the receptacle bearing perithecia in every part.

This plant is quite common in our woods, growing about old stumps or on decayed sticks or pieces of wood. The spore-openings can be seen with an ordinary hand-glass.

Xylaria polymorpha, var. spathularia.

Spathularia means in the form of a spathula or spatula. It is vertical and stipitate, the stem being more definite than in the X. polymorpha, the stroma being between fleshy and corky, frequently growing in numbers or gregarious, turgid, fairly regular, dirty-white, then brownish-red, finally black. An ordinary hand glass will show how it bears perithecia in all its parts. This will be clearly seen in the section on the right.

These plants are not as common as the X. polymorpha, but are found in habitats similar to those of the other plant, particularly around maple stumps or upon decayed maple branches.

Stemonitis. Gled.

Stemonitis is from a Greek word which means stamen, one of the essential organs of a flower. This is a genus of myxomycetous fungi, giving name to the family StemonitaceÆ, which has a single sporangium or Æthalium; without the peculiar deposits of lime carbonate which characterize the fructification of other orders, and the spores, capillitium, and columella are usually uniformly black, or brownish.

Stemonitis fusca. Roth.

Fusca means dark-brown, smoky. The sporangia are cylindrical and pointed at the apex, peridia fugacious, exposing the beautiful net-work of the capillitium. The reticulate capillitium springs from the dark, penetrating stem.

This is a very beautiful plant when studied with an ordinary hand-glass. I have frequently seen an entire log covered with this plant.

Stemonitis ferruginea. Ehrb.

Ferruginea means rust color. The sporangia is very similar to that of S. fusca, cylindrical, peridium fugacious, exposing the reticulate capillitium, but instead of being dark-brown it is a yellowish or rusty-brown color.