2^0 The Scottish Naturalist. 



was put into the plate, which was then tilted slightly, so that the ends of the 

 leaves touched the water and permitted it to be drawn up slowly. The plate 

 was then covered with a bell-glass, the glass with a duster to exclude light, 

 and the whole was kept in a warm room. On examining the leaves about 

 three weeks afterwards, Mr. Smith found that the mycelium of the fungus had 

 run abundantly over and inside of the decaying leaves, and that it had pro- 

 duced an abundant crop of resting spores. These are half as large again as 

 those of P. infeslans, with which they agree in structure, and shine like 

 mirrors. Mr. Smith suggests the above method of cultivation as likely to be 

 successful with other Peronosporea, of which the resting spores are as yet 

 unknown. 



"On Barya aurantiaca, Plowright and Wilson, n. spy (Feb. 9, 1884, 

 p. 17b) gives descriptions and figures of a new fungus grown by Mr. A. S. 

 ^Yilson from the ergot of Claviceps purpurea on Glyceria fluitans, from Kin- 

 mundy, near Aberdeen. The Barya is parasitic on the Claviceps ergot, some- 

 times pushing up its erect growths from the same sclerotium as bears the 

 mature hymenium of the Claviceps, but usually the Claviceps does not develop 

 its hymenium on the sclerotium attacked by the Barya. The description given 

 by the authors is as follows : — 



" Stroma vertical, clavate or subcapitate, 10-20 mill, high by 1-3 mill, in 

 diameter; when young fioccose, while' with conidiiferous hyphce, and bearing 

 yellozu perithecia with orange ostiola on its upper tzvo-thirds. Conidia elliplico- 

 lanceolale, borne in chains on the end of branching conidiiferous hypha, 10-12 by 

 2-3 mk. Perithecia pyriform, yellow, almost free, with elongated necks, which 

 with the minute ostiola are orange, 250-300 by 150 mk. Asci cylindrical, 200- 

 2 5° by 30 mk. Sporidia filiform, filexuoits, continuous, as long as the asci. 

 The base of the stroma springs from a floccose mass of yellozvish-white mycelium. 

 On Claviceps purpurea on the ergot of Glyceria fluitans •." 



Experiments to infect the ovaries of wheat, rye, and Poa trivialis with the 

 mature sporidia of B. aurantiaca directly were without result. In appearance 

 it resembles some species of Cordiceps, but its sporidia do not break up into 

 joints as in them. It resembles Hvpomyces in habit, but differs in its fruit, as 

 the latter genus has short oblong or fusiform uniseptate sporidia. 



In Grtvillea, in March, 1884 (p. 77), Dr. Cooke has named this fungus 

 Claviceps IVilsoni, and has given a description of it under that name, noting 

 that it "differs from all other species in the elongated clavate capitulum, and in 

 the lax manner in which the perithecia are produced. In the June number of 

 Grruillca, p. 100, he notes Barya aurantiaca Plow, and Wils. as a synonym 

 of his Claviceps IVilsoni, and adds : " This has nothing in common with th e 

 genus Barya, to which it has been referred, that being only a crcspitose 

 A ci'osperm tim." 



NEW WORKS ON BRITISH BOTANY. 



So-uerb/s English Botany, edited by Dr. Boswell, seems likely to be com- 

 pleted at last in a short time. The twelfth volume has been commenced, to 

 include the Vascular Cryptogams, and also such species of Phanerogams as 

 have been discovered in Britain since the completion of the account of the 

 flowering plants some years ago. Parts 84-86 have already appeared, with 

 152 pages of letterpress and plates 1825 to 1863. 



