Friesia X, 4-5

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is driven ashore during westerly autumn storms (Fig. 1) and generally
remains at t he base of the dune until t he following May. At t he start
of the bathing season it is removed by public authorities and private
bodies as part of beach cleansing activities and in July-September
only a few fragments remain. The most fa vourable period for collecting
is thus in April when the wood has remained undisturbed on the
beach for at least six months. Had the wood not been r emoved in
early summer or disturbed in the rat her intensive bathing season,
the best yield would undoubt edly be obtained from t he middle of
August t o the end of September.
ME THOD S
In collecting marine fungi from driftwood washed ashore it would
at first sight appear natural to consider as a whole all wood marked
by soft rot and erosion lying on the beach. However, during the investigation
it became evident that the wood samples from the water's
edge, the middle beach, and the upper beach supported different
groups of fungi and thus the collections from these three zones were
kept separate.
By means of a magnifying glass and a knife the driftwood fragments
were examined for the small, sparse, single perithecia which
may be located on the surface of the wood or immersed with only the
orifices visible. Only the most promising pieces were taken for examination
under the microscope.
As far as possible the samples collected were investigated in the
laboratory while the wood was still in the same condition as when
found, and drying was carried out after the fungi had been identified.
In the majority of cases, however, the surface of the wood had dried
out to such an extent that a brief period of softening under running
water proved necessary, A few samples were placed in a humid
chamber for 4-5 months and subsequently re-examined. Some of the
collections obtained in this way are incorporated in the following and
in these cases a note is given concerning the origin. The collections
were limited to driftwood which showed signs of manufacture and
thus do not inelude fungi on, for example, twigs, bark or root fragments.
The material was collected within a total distance of 3-5 km.
During the period between the localization of a driftwood sample
to its inc1usion in the collection, the sample was evaluated several
times. Many samples were omitted at each stage and the collections