190 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



In the collection made by Bornmiiller in Syria in 1897, P. Magnus* 

 finds a number of new species of Fungi, and a new genus of Perisporia- 

 cese, Pampolysjyorium, distinguished from the other genera of the order 

 by the large number (up to 32) of 2-celled hyaline spores in the ascus. 



On the rhizome of Carex vesicaria, in swampy situations, T. Plottner f 

 has found a fungus which he names Leotiella caricicola g. et sp. n. ; the 

 genus, which belongs to the It otiese, having the following diagnosis : — 

 Receptacle gelatinous, the portion which bears the hymenium flatly 

 capitulate, bulbous, recurved downwards at the margin ; spores filiform, 

 undivided. 



Experimental Aspergillosis.^ — Dr. T. A. Roth well has found from 

 experiments that both Aspergillus niger and A. fumigatus are capable 

 of producing lesions which resemble one another histologically ; but 

 whereas the injection of A. fumigatus caused the death of the animal, 

 that of A. niger never did. Both organisms are capable of germinating 

 in the living tissue, but A. fumigatus much more so than A. niger. The 

 animals experimented on were guinea-pigs and rabbits. The organs 

 contained nodules (pseudo-tubercles) composed of epithelioid cells, 

 giant-cells, and leucocytes. The giant-cells were scattered throughout the 

 nodules, and many presented phenomena of phagocytosis, containing 

 either particles of mycele or spores. 



Movements of the Protoplasm and Formation of the Reproduc- 

 tive Organs in Ascophanus carneus.§ —Charlotte Ternetz has studied 

 the interesting phenomena in this fungus, which made its appearance in 

 Myxomycete-cultures, and which is readily cultivated on the ordinary 

 media. 



Ascophanus carneus produces glycogen on all media, whether solid or 

 fluid. On all substrata and in the air it forms gemma?, which possess a 

 great power of resistance to deficient nutriment or moisture. 



The movement of the protoplasm, which is clearly seen in cover- 

 ulass cultures, is neither a circulation nor a rotation, but a streaming. 

 The current passes without difficulty through the cell-walls, possibly 

 through a central opening, and always maintains the same direction. 

 The motion ceases in the gemma?, where the cell-walls are closed. Its 

 purpose appears to be the counteraction of differences of turgor in dif- 

 ferent parts of the filament. 



Light and a saturated atmosphere are essential to production of the 

 ascus-fructification. The quality of the light is indifferent, but fruc- 

 tification takes place only when the direct supply of nutriment is 

 checked or suspended. A nitrogenous substratum is, however, essen- 

 tial. The differentiated initial organ, the ascogone, archicarp, orcarpo- 

 gone, closely resembles the vermiform body, or " scolecite " of Tulasne. 



Structure of the Melanconie8e.|| — Prof. L. Montemartini has studied 

 the structure of this group of Fungi, and its relation to the Hypho- 

 mycetes and the SphaBriacese. The differential characters of the three 



* Verhandl. k. k. Zool.-bot. Gcs. Wien, 1900, p. 444. 

 t Hedwigia, xxxix. (1900) Beihl , pp. 197-S (1 fig.). 

 X Journ. Pnthol. and Bacterial., vii. (19n0) pi>. 34-52 (1 pi. and 4 figs.). 

 § Prin^shemi's Jal.rb. f. wiss. Bot., xxxv. (1900) pp. 273-:il2 (1 pi.). 

 || Atti 1st. J Sot. r. Univ. Pavia, vi. (1899) 44 pp. and 2 pis. See Bull. Soc Bot. 

 France, xlvii. (1900) p. 381. 



