April 1, 1869.] 



HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



SL 



perhaps some chemical production, but, if not, a 

 fungus, and not an alga.- Schumacher called it 

 Dematium olicaceum, making it a fungus." We 

 then added that an experienced analytic chemist 

 had given his opinion, casually, that the spots were 

 inorganic, and probably iron pyrites. In January, 

 "J. T. Y." affirmed that "they are unquestionably 

 fungoid growths," to which, in a note, we objected 

 that we considered our correspondent far too con- 

 fident in his opinion. Since this note appeared, 

 another correspondent has been testing the few 

 specimens he could obtain, and through us appealed 

 to our readers for more. He ("A. L.") states, "I 

 have succeeded in ascertaining that they consist of 

 some compound of the metal copper, but what com- 

 pound I cannot yet say (most likely the sulphide or 



Fig. 52. Dendritic spot. 



oxide), as I have not sufficient material at my dis- 

 posal. At about the same time we received a long 

 and ingenious speculation by "A. S.," which added 

 no information ; and however suggestive it might 

 be, did not give or suggest a plausible solution of 

 the mystery; hence its publication would be useless. 

 Those who are willing to assist "A. L." in con- 

 firming his opinion, and in determining what com- 

 pound of copper the crystals arc, cannot do better 

 than forward specimens.* 



Another correspondent (" S. M.") has suggested 

 a solution of the positive assertion of "J. T. Y." in 

 the fact that fungoid spots do also occur on damp 

 paper. He says : " Spots on paper are not always 

 fungoid growths. They are of two or three kinds. 

 On examining some which I noticed lately as occur- 

 ring in a volume of Grote's Plato I was reading, 

 I found the spots to be some form of crystallization 

 of iron, doubtless due to some small spot or blot of 

 printer's ink. There were two or three groups of 

 spots, and however small, presented a feathery ap- 

 pearance. With a two-inch object-glass, the spots 



* A. L., til, Buckingham Road, London, N. 



appeared like a piece of dark seaweed. There is 

 always a centre or nucleus, the blot (?) from which 

 the little branches ray out. 



" Curiously enough, in the very same volume the 

 fungoid spots also occur very frequently. They 

 are, however, minute, possessed of the refreshingly 

 long name olMyxotrichum chartarwm (Kunze). See 

 Annals and Magazine of Natural History, January, 

 1SG2, Note ou this fungus, by Arthur H. 

 Church, B.A., Oxon, E.C.S., &c, where there arc 

 clear details of this fungus, which 'is generally 

 found on damp straw or paper,' and where very 

 careful and beautiful drawings of it are given. The 

 spots on paper of both kinds are pretty nearly cir 

 cular, arising from the little blot forming the 

 nucleus in the one case, and from the mode of 

 growth of the fungus in the other. The fungus 

 spots, however, are nearly always yellow or a deep 

 golden brown ; the other spots are nearly black. 

 The farmer I have noticed always pierce right 

 through the paper, and the spores I have seen 

 scattered and germinating on that part of the pages 

 of the book in immediate contact with the first or 

 mother fungus, while the other spots merely ray 

 out on the surface like the frost on the window- 

 pane." 



The appearance of this fungus on paper could 

 hardly be confounded, even by the unaided eye, 

 with the inorganic spots. This My.rotrichum con- 

 sists of an agglomeration of branched threads, bear- 

 ing near the base clusters of spores, and with the 

 apex dark-coloured and curved, projecting beyond 

 the entangled mass of threads. 



Another fungus, belonging to the same genus, 

 was described by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, in 1S3S, 

 and called by him Myxotrichum defleantm. It forms 

 little patches consisting of small downy grey balls. 

 From these arise a number of radiating threads fur- 

 nished with a few opposite deflexed branchlets. 

 The sporidia are collected in patches about the base 

 of the threads. This also is found growing on 

 paper. 



Then, again, we have two other small fungi, very 

 similar so far as external appearance goes, which 

 flourish under like conditions. These, however, 

 are very different in structure, ' and belong to a 

 higher group of fungi, because the sporidia are en- 

 closed in special membranaceous sacs or asci. One 

 of these is called Chattomium chartarwm. The 

 "spot" consists of a brittle thin peritheciuin, 

 covered with bristly hairs, and containing, inter- 

 nally, long narrow asci, in each of which are dark- 

 coloured, lemon-shaped sporidia. The base of the 

 perithecium appears to be attached to a dark radia- 

 ting mycelium. The other species, first found in 

 183S, is Ascot richa chartartim, and is thus described : 

 — " At first appearing under the form of a minute 

 branched Sporotrichum, interspersed with globose 

 brownish conidia. As it advances in growth, 



