ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 07 



Lichens. 

 (By A. Lorrain Smith, F.L.S.) 



Study of Usneacese.* — H. Heber Howe is issuing papers dealing 

 with the citations, original descriptions, and type localities of all de- 

 scribed species of Usnea. In Part I, now published, he gives the 

 species recorded in North America, twenty-eight in number. A synoptic 

 key to these species is provided, and a map showing type localities. 



The North American species of RamaUna have also been studied 

 by the same author. f The genus is represented in that country by eight 

 distinct species. Heber Howe relies on spore-forms as a leading feature 

 of his classification of the species, the thalliue characters serving for 

 further delimitation. He notes that the specimens all show a pale 

 yellow reaction with potash, those on mineral substrata being more 

 pronouncedly yellow. 



Schizophyta. 

 Schizoinycetes. 



Bacillus hypertoxicus.+ — Rappin obtained from the viscera and 

 living blood of persons infected by curds and milk in an epidemic at 

 Cholet a bacillus which he designates B. hypertoxicus. The bacillus is 

 from 1-5 i-l in length, non-motile, stains well bat not by Gram's method, 

 and has a granular appearance. It is easily cultivable both aerobically 

 and anaerobically in the usual media. It forms indol and ferments 

 lactose bouillon. To the guinea-pig and rabbit it is highly pathogenic. 



Amylolytic Microbes of the Intestinal Flora of the Elephant. § 

 The microbes which attack starch are found in great quantity in the 

 intestinal flora of the elephant. They are, says J. Schiller, either 

 essential anaerobes, potential anaerobes, or essential aerobes. The 

 majority change starch to sugars ; others produce sugars which are 

 transformed into acids ; others use up the sugars formed. Those that 

 make sugars preponderate. Among the amylolytic microbes two groups 

 may be distinguished, one proteolytic, the other peptolytic. The pro- 

 teolytic group includes B. perfrinyens, B. sporoyenes, B. megaterium, 

 B. mesentericas fuscus, B.glycobacter liquefaciens sp. n., B. subtilis. The 

 peptolytic group contains B.glycobacter peptolyticus, B. yhjcobacter co- 

 ay idans sp. n., and Streptococcus amylolyticus sp. n. 



Cladothrix dichotoma. — P. Linde discusses the morphological 

 characters and physiological properties of this organism. After a short 

 review of the literature, he discusses the nature of the vegetative cells, 

 the sheath, and other elements. The size of the cells varied consider- 

 ably with the conditions of food supply. No true single nucleus was 



* Proc. Thoreau Museum Nat. Hist., i. (1913) pp. 15-25. 



t Bryologist, xvi. (1913) pp. 65-74 (3 pis. and 3 figs.). 



% O.K. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxxv. (1913) pp. 110-12. 



§ C.B. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxxv. (1913) pp. 301-5. 



|| Centralbl. Bakt., 2te Abt., xxxix. (1913) pp. 369-94. 



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