ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICKOSCOPY, ETC. 477 



Witches' Brooms of Quercus rubra and other Woody Plants.* — 

 The case of Witches' Broom examined by H. Solereder represented small 

 trees growing upright from a branch of the host. The origin of the 

 growth could not be detected ; no fungus mycelium was discovered in 

 the tissues. The author gives a careful list of all recorded cases of 

 similar growths with references to the literature of the subject. These 

 abnormal growths are due in most cases to species of Exoascus, to 

 Uredinete, or to insects. In some cases, as the above, their origin has not 

 been discovered. 



The Fungus of Lolium temulentum.f — Anton Nestler has been 

 examining Lolium plants, and finds the fungus in the fruits of L. perenne 

 and L. italicum, as well as in that of L. temulentum. The infected 

 fruits of the latter germinate more readily than in the two former cases. 

 Culture experiments were made with the fungus on beerwort gelatin 

 with Lolium extract. Only once was a hyphal growth observed, and it 

 stopped very soon. Further cultures are desirable. 



British Mycology.! — The Transactions of the Mycological Society 

 have just been issued under the editorship of Carleton Rae, the Hon. Sec. 

 and Treasurer. He gives an account of the annual fungus foray in the 

 autumn, and an account of the rarer species of fungi that were gathered. 

 A complete list of these fungi is added. 



C. B. Plowright contributes a sketch of Eriksson's Mycoplasma 

 hypothesis. He withholds judgment until more is known of the matter, 

 though he thinks such a theory might explain much that is obscure in 

 the outbreaks of rust and potato diseases. He also publishes a descrip- 

 tion of a new Peniophora that has proved a very harmful disease of 

 Chrysanthemum. It attacks the lower part of the stem. The disease 

 was first noticed many years ago, and recently there has been a fresh 

 development of the fungus. 



Saccardo's rules of nomenclature have been translated by C. Rea, and 

 commented on by the members of the society. R. H. Biffen contributes 

 a paper on Parasitism. He describes the recent advances in our know- 

 ledge of the subject as regards biologic forms, bridging species, etc. 

 The fungi new to Britain form the subject of a paper by A. Lorrain 

 Smith and Carleton Rea. A large number have been added to the 

 British flora during the year. 



Mycology.§ — Franz von Hohnel publishes a series of descriptions 

 and corrections of fungi records. There are critical notes on classifica- 

 tion and nomenclature, and descriptions of new genera and species. 

 Garcinodochium g.n. found on decaying plants and on the ground is 

 allied to Daeryodochium and Lachnodorhiinn. Dendrostilbella g.n. is 

 a Stilbella with branched sporophores ; the spores are very small. This 

 genus forms a transition between Stilbella and Pirobasidium. It is the 



* 



Naturwiss. Zeitschr. Land. Forstw., iii. (1905) pp. 17-23. See also Bot. 

 Centralbl., xcviii. (1905) pp. 464-5. 



t SB. K. Akad. Wiss. Wien, cxiii., Abt. 1 (1904) pp. 530-40 (1 pi.). See also 

 Hedwigia, xcviii. (1905) p. 109. 



\ Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc, 1904 (Worcester, 1905) 100 pp. (4 col. pis.). 



§ Oesterr. bot. Zeitschr., liv. (1904) pp. 425-39: lv. (1905) pp. 13-24, 51-5. See 

 also Bot. Centralbl.. xcviii. (1905) pp. 416-17. 



