1882. _Stemonitis suksdorfii_ Ell. & Everh., _Bull. Washb. Coll._, Vol. I., p. 5. 1892. _Stemonitis suksdorfii_ Ell. & Everh., Mass., _Mon._, p. 76. Sporangia scattered in small tufts or gregarious, cylindric, obtuse at both ends, sometimes widened above, black, 2-6 mm., stipitate; stipe jet-black, shining, even, about one-half the total height; hypothallus not continuous, dark brown; columella black, rather slender, terminating in two or more large branches just below the apex; capillitium exceedingly dense, dark fuscous or black, the flexuous threads anastomosing in a close network, with abundant free pallid extremities; spores in mass, blue-black, by transmitted light fuscous or dark violaceous-brown, minutely warted, 10-12 mu. Easily recognizable at sight by its sooty color. Entirely unlike any of the preceding. The type of the capillitium is that of _C. pulchella_, but it is very much more dense and entirely different in color. The sporangia are often widened above, and fairly truncate; the total height about 6 mm. Found on the bark of fallen twigs of _Abies, Larix_, etc. Distributed by Ell. & Everh. under this name as an _exsiccata_. The evanescent peridium is colorless; when free, white or silvery. 8. COMATRICHA NIGRA (_Pers._) _Schroeter._ PLATE XI., Figs. 1, 2, 3. 1791. _Stemonitis nigra_ Pers., Gmel., _Syst. Nat._, p. 1467. 1801. _Stemonitis ovata_, var. _nigra_ Pers., _Syn._, p. 189. 1863. _Stemonitis friesiana_ DeBy., _Rab. Eur. Fung._, No. 568. 1875. _Comatricha friesiana_ (DeBy.) Rost., _Mon._, p. 200. 1889. _Comatricha nigra_ (Pers.) Schroeter, _Pilz. Krypt. Fl. v. Schles._, I., p. 118. 1894. _Comatricha obtusata_ Fr., Lister, _Mycetozoa_, p. 117. 1899. _Comatricha nigra_ (Pers.) Schroeter, Macbr., _N. A. S._, p. 128. Sporangia scattered, ferruginous or dark brown, globose or ovoid, stipitate; stipe long, hair-like, tapering upward, black; hypothallus none; columella rapidly diminished toward the top, at length dissipated; capillitium of slender flexuous threads, radiating horizontally, repeatedly branching and anastomosing to form an intricate dense network, from the surface of which project a few short hook-like peridial processes; spore-mass black, spores by transmitted light dark violaceous, smooth or nearly so, 7-10 mu. This species, when typical, is easily recognized by its almost globose sporangia mounted on long slender stocks. These are 2 or 3 mm. high and generally persist, as Persoon noticed, a long time after the sporangium has fallen. The sporangia are at first black; after spore disposal pale ferruginous. In shape they vary from ovate to spherical. Sometimes they are umbilicate below, so that a vertical section would be obcordate. Care must be taken to distinguish the present species from blown-out forms of _Lamproderma_.