ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 287 



Underneath the fruiting body of the polyporus he found masses of 

 earth, stones, etc., matted together by the mycelium, and mixed with 

 these, living tree roots, the cortex and wood of which were uninjured. 

 Further examination of a fungus at the base of a chestnut-tree convinced 

 him of its parasitic nature. He traced the mycelium into the root 

 which had been injured and made entirely friable. Other observations 

 tended to verify his theory of parasitism. Kirchmayr believes that he 

 has also established the parasitic nature of Sparassis ramosa, though the 

 evidence is not so clear as in the former case. 



Polymorphism of Ganoderma lucidum.* — C. van Bambeke has 

 collected specimens of this fungus at four different dates, and has com- 

 pared the gatherings. The fungus is very variable in form : usually it 

 is irregularly stipitate, and a dimidate form has been considered by 

 various mycologists sufficiently distinct to constitute a new species. 

 Bambeke found all varieties of form, stipitate and non-stipitate, growing 

 from the same base. In microscopic characters— tissue, spores, etc. — 

 there is no difference. The variations in form are due to environment ; 

 in this case to the relation between the sporophore and the support. 



Poisonous Properties of Agarics.t— G-. Dittrich made enquiries 

 into a fatal case of poisoning, and found that the fungus that was the 

 cause of death was the green Amanita viridis, a variety of the well- 

 known poisonous Amanita phalloides. He made experiments with a 

 solution of the green variety and proved its hasmolytic action on the 

 blood of man and various animals. Injection into animals caused death. 

 Tests were made with Amanita mappa, which proved to be much less 

 poisonous and sometimes quite harmless in its effects. Other species of 

 the genus were also examined, and the results are given. 



Philippine Fungi.J — A second paper with descriptions of species of 

 fungi (largely microscopic), has been published by H. and P. Sydow. 

 A large number are new to science, and descriptive comparative notes 

 are added in many instances to the copious diagnoses. The new genera 

 are ; Bulgariastrum (Bulgariacese), which forms roundish colonies on 

 living leaves ; Calopeziza (Pseudopezizas), a vividly coloured fungus, also 

 on living leaves ; Sorosphsera (Sphaaropsideaa), which appears as a small 

 stroma on leaves of StreUus asper (the numerous pycnidia are almost 

 superficial on the stromata) ; and Lasiothyrium (Pycnothyriaceai), of 

 which the pycnidia grow in groups on leaves. 



Culture of Entomophytic Fungi.§— J. Beauverie devotes special 

 attention to the fungus or " muscardine " that attacks the silk-worm. 

 He gives the history of the fungus, and describes the growth on the host. 

 He then turns his attention to some of the ways in which entomophytic 

 fungi might become of service in destroying insect pests, and thus 



* Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg., lii. (1913-14) pp. 127-32. 



t Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., xsxii. (1914) pp. 69-76. 



t Phil. Journ. Sci., viii. Sec. C, n. 6 (1913) pp. 475-509 (7 fig?.). 



§ Rev. Gen. Bot., xxvi. (1914) pp. 81- 105 (13 figs.). 



