T 3° 



HA R D IV I CKE 'S SCIENCE-GOS SIP. 



at one time associated with the Algse. Mr. Berkeley, 

 however, says "in these lower plants there is a 

 duality or plurality of modes of fructification. Indeed, 

 though the active spores, moving about with one or 

 more lash-like appendages, resemble exactly the re- 

 productive bodies which are so common amongst 

 Algse, there is now evidence amongst moulds, as in 

 the genera Peronospera (the potato destroyer) and 

 Cysoptus, and still more amongst the Myxogastres, that 

 there are active spores amongst true fungi ; " further, 

 quoting Pringsheim's definition of the genus Sapro- 

 legnia, he says : " Infusorioid spores formed in the in- 

 terior of the sporangia and, immediately after their 

 formation, isolated and active without any previous 

 membrane. New sporangia formed by the repeated 

 protrusion of the basal membrane into the old sporan- 

 gium. Oogonia, containing numerous resting spores 

 (fig. 7 8).» " 



To make the history more intelligible Mr. Berkeley 

 describes one or more species of each genus, and says 

 of Sapr-oh'gnia monoica zmA ferox : " The first appear- 

 ance is that of delicate white or greyish, nearly equal 

 simple or slightly-branched threads, without any 

 joints, radiating in every direction, and containing a 

 grumous granulated mass. The tips of these threads 

 .gradually swell, and after a time a septum is formed 

 at the base, after which the contents are collected into 

 little pellets, each of which, at length, is separated 

 from the rest, and becomes an ovate spore, which 

 escapes by a little aperture at the tip, and is fur- 

 nished by one or two delicate thread-like append- 

 ages, by means of which it is able to move about like 

 an infusorial animal with great rapidity. After a 

 short time motion ceases, and the spore germinates 

 and produces a new plant. 



"After the sporangium is exhausted the septum at 

 the base becomes convex, pushes forward (fig. 78, 2) 

 into the vacant cavity, which it more or less completely 

 fills, and produces another crop of spores, sometimes 

 projecting through the aperture of that which was 

 first formed. This process is repeated a third or 

 even a fourth time till the powers of vegetation 

 are exhausted. Now, however, a second form of 

 fruit appears — a form which has been called an 

 Oogonium, because it produces spores which are 

 quiescent and dormant for a time like eggs, and not 

 furnished with motile appendages. Lateral branches 

 are given off for their production which terminate in 

 large globose sacs, which, like the sporangia, are not 

 at first separated by any septum. One, however, is 

 at length formed, and the membrane becomes pierced 

 with numerous apertures." — " Intellectual Observer," 

 vol. v. 



The above authorities abundantly show that this 

 fungus is possessed of a plurality of methods of fructi- 

 fication, and that it also produces resting spores 

 which may retain their vitality for an indefinite time ; 

 further, it is not strictly aquatic in its habits, but can 

 exist and propagate itself out of water, in fact, is 



amphibious. It is extremely common amongst flies in 

 autumn, when the insect appears to be gummed to 

 places and covered with a white powdery efflorescence. 

 This is the vegetable parasite in question, known 

 when it attacks the house-fly as Empusa Musue, 

 but certainly analogous to, if not identical with, 

 S. ferox. Mr. Berkeley regards it positively as the 

 latter individual. 



The fly by the destruction of its viscera, &c, be- 

 comes weakened and unable to move about, but the 

 viscid fluid exuding from the tubular hairs surround- 

 ing its pulvilli continues to flow, and the insect 

 becomes glued to the point of attachment by the 

 very secretion which enables it ordinarily to walk on 

 all surfaces and in all positions. 



People who make a practice of feeding gold-fish, 

 &c, with flies, may thus introduce into their aquariums 

 a supply of germinative spores sufficient to destroy 

 successive colonies of finny favourites. Some idea of 

 utilising this parasite, so antagonistic to certain forms 

 of animal life, appears to have been mooted in 

 America. The following paragraph bearing upon 

 our subject appears in the February Number of 

 Hardwicke's Science-Gossip, current year : 



"Parasitic Fungi on Insects. — Professor 

 Hagen, of Harvard, describes some experiments 

 that had been made by Mr. J. H. Burns and others, 

 and comes to the following conclusions : 1. That 

 the common house-fly is often killed by a fungus, 

 and that in epizootics, a large number of insects 

 which live in the same locality are killed by the 

 same fungus. 2. That the fungus of the house-fly 

 works as well as yeast for baking and brewing 

 purposes. 3. That the application of yeast on insects 

 produces in them a fungus which becomes fatal to the 

 insects. 4. That in the experiment made by Mr. J. 

 H. Burns, all potato-beetles sprinkled with diluted 

 yeast died from the eighth to the twelfth day, and 

 that the fungus was found in the vessels of the wings." 



Now that the life history of Saprolcgnia ferox has 

 been to some extent examined, we may revert to the 

 causes assigned for its destructive outbreak and 

 extension beyond all previous limits. Mr. A. B. 

 Stirling, curator of the Anatomical Museum, Edin- 

 burgh, writes as follows: "I also wish to say that 

 the fungus appears to me to be of a very irritating 

 nature, causing the fish such torture that they destroy 

 themselves in their efforts to get rid of their tormentor. 

 The sores upon the fish are not caused by the fungus, 

 but by the fish themselves, by rubbing the parts of 

 their bodies affected upon stones or rocks, and any 

 projections they find to suit the parts affected. I am 

 quite unable to say what the cause of the fungus may 

 be, but, as I found foreign matter of various kinds 

 entangled in the mycelium of the fungi, I have 

 pretty good grounds for thinking that it may have 

 arisen from pollution. The foreign matter found in 

 the mycelium of, or fronds of, the plant, were Torulae, 

 or yeast plant, triple phosphates, fecula, human hairs, 



