HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



CmomaceL 

 Ustilaffo Segetum 



am rarely, however, troubled with them, and I owe my 

 success, I consider, to seeing that the glycerine is 

 thoroughly liquid and warm, and that the thin cover- 

 ing glass is laid down on the spores and fluid in the 

 most gentle manner. Be careful in mounting with 

 glycerine what varnish you use, as there is scarcely 

 one that is not affected by this fluid. After many 

 trials and many failures with others, I have come to 

 the conclusion that there is nothing equal to gold 

 size. 



Thus then have I very briefly endeavoured to 

 point out the easiest and quickest way of mounting 

 micro-fungi. In conclusion, let me add a word about 

 the labelling of your specimens. Be very careful 



always to roughly note on 

 each slide at the time of 

 mounting the name of the 

 specimen, for it is of little 

 use, in the case of those 

 fungi the spores of which 

 are mounted in fluid, trying 

 to remember the name some 

 day or two after mounting, 

 many spores being so much 

 alike that the thing is almost 

 impossible. Before placing 

 in the cabinet, neat labels, 

 such as may be bought at 

 any optician's, should be 

 placed on the slide one at 

 each end, bearing the Order 

 and Latin name of the 

 fungus, with date of mount- 

 ing and mounter's name. It 

 is as well also to add the 

 English name. As an ex- 

 ample of what I mean, see 



Fig. i. — Example to show fig. i. I must, before finish- 

 mode of labelling micro-* . . . . 

 fungi slides, and also of in g> g lve one warning, and 

 applying rings of coloured that is, Be very sure that 

 varnish. ■ 



you get the best glycerine 



jelly, viz. that which is as clear as crystal. There is 

 some sold which looks foggy and muddy, so to speak. , 

 This, when viewed under the microscope, shows an 

 amount of deposit of some kind, which, with such 

 minute organisms as those of which I have been 

 treating and with a high power, prove ruination. The 

 clearest glycerine jelly I ever remember to have used 

 I procured of Mr. Dunscombe, optician, of St. Augus- 

 tine's Parade, Bristol. It was put up in a test tube, 

 which was fitted into a case ; this doubtless could be 

 obtained at any optician's, and is without doubt the 

 best glycerine for mounting micro-fungi I ever met 

 with. I trust that, this winter, many who have not 

 yet turned their attention to micro-fungi mounting 

 may at last be persuaded to do so, and I can promise 

 them that the result will fully repay their labour. 



Charles F. W. T. Williams. 



Co rn Sm ut 



2 4-3- 73 



BROWN 



ANOTHER FUNGUS RAMBLE IN EPPING 

 FOREST. 



T ENZITES BETULLVA occurs on the roots 

 **— ' and stumps of old trees : it has the habit of a 

 Polypore ; corky, coriaceous ; straight gills, some- 

 what branched when young, torn when old ; pileus 

 tomentose : — 



Diidalea quercina and D . unicolor. The former is 



Fig. 2.— Tomentose pileus of Lenzites betulina. 



Fig. 3. — Lamellae (old). 



Fig . 4. — Lamellae in the young state. 



Figs. 5 and 6.— Lamellae straight-branched and anastomosing 

 of Dcedalea quercina (young state). 



nearest Lenzites, the latter, of more frequent occur- 

 rence, approaches Polyporus : both are similar in 

 habit to this genus. The pileus of D. quercina is of a 

 pale buff-colour, with concentric lines not unlike 

 Polyporus ulmarius. 



D. unicolor has a coriaceous, corky pileus, villoso- 

 strigose, cinereous, with zones of the same colour : 

 The sinuses of both species are torn and labyrinthi- 

 form when old ; similar in this respect to Lenzites. 



The polypores are plentifully represented, both as 



