ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC, 151 



then arise from neighbouring hyphai and form a second covering ; these 

 spirals may come in contact with the ascogoniura, but no fusion was 

 observed. Meanwhile the ascogonium divides and forms a tissue of uni- 

 nucleate cells, during which time the inner wall of cells multiplies and 

 forms a plectenchyma of multinucleate cells. 



In the ascogonial tissue two neighbouring cells may coalesce and 

 their nuclei fuse, but this phenomenon could not be considered as 

 essential to further development. The ascogonial tissue gave rise 

 directly to the asci, or to branches of which the ultimate cells became 

 asci. 



Sporulation in Cultures of Botryosphaeria Berengeriana.* — This 

 fungus rarely forms spores in artificial cultures, but J. Matz has devised 

 a plan whereby he has been able to secure abundant spore productions. 

 Plugs of wood were sterilized, well washed in water, and then infected 

 by introducing mycelium into slits made by a sterile scalpel into the 

 bark. The whole was then dipped in paraffin for an instant. In about 

 four weeks pycnidia with spores were formed in great abundance on the 

 paraffined plugs. It seems that the substitute of a coat of paraffin 

 eliminates the moist air which ordinarily exists in culture tubes, and in 

 this way the growth of aerial sterile mycelium is suppressed and sporula- 

 tion encouraged. 



Genus Meliola in Porto Riccf — Species of this genus, according 

 to F. L. Stevens, are among the most common of leaf -inhabiting fungi 

 in Porto Rico ; they cause conspicuous black blotches on one or both 

 surfaces of the leaf ; more rarely they spread to the stems. They are 

 frequently overgrown by other parasites, which affect this development 

 and render accurate determination and description extremely difficult. 

 Many new species have been described, and a host-list, arranged in 

 families, is appended. Stevens has described ninety-five species. 



Californian Tuberales.J — Helen M. Gilkey has recently published a 

 revision of the Tuberales of California. She gives a preliminary 

 account of the history, occurrence, economic importance, and of the 

 morphology and phylogeny of the group. There are none of the edible 

 tubers in California ; none of the native species exhibit any marked 

 odour, and that renders them valueless as condiments. The develop- 

 ment of the genera is traced and their connexion with Peziza stated, 

 the latter being also of angiocarpous origin. 



In the special systematic portion, twelve genera are dealt with, one 

 of them Eydaotryopsis, new to science, described from a species 

 collected in forests in March, and previously described as a Stejohensia. 

 There are fourteen new species in this Californian list. 



Peculiar Development in Verticillium.§ — M. F. Vincens found 

 the species as a mould on a Russula. It was allied to VerticilUum by 



* Phytopathology, vi. (1916) pp. 587-9 (1 fig.). 



t 111. Biog. Mouogr.,ii. (1916) 86 pp. (5 pis.). 



X Univ. California Publications (Bot.) vi. No. 11 (1916) pp. 275-356 (5 pis.). 



§ Comptes Rendus, Ixiii. (1916) pp. 489-91. 



