148 



they would certainly show a pedicel. He then quoted from some papers by 



Hallier, in which the budding out alluded to had been described and figured. 



With reference to fungi fructifying in fluids, he believed tbey had never been 



known to do so; no forms do so excepting those found on flies and on fish, and 



which, after all, were doubtful species. As for a Penicillium with spores in situ 



being found in a fluid, he should be glad to see such a remarkable phenomenon, 



for it is well known that moisture prevents its fructification. Take a Penicillium 



which has formed under the cover of a glass slide, and let a little water go 



under the cover, and instantly every head will fly off, you cannot get the heads 



to remain on after moisture has touched them. The vinegar plant was another 



instance ; it would grow rapidly but would not fructify so long as it had plenty 



of moisture ; but take it out of its moisture, and it would in a very short time 



throw up its filaments and produce fruit. 



Mr. Lowne said that some of the things which .were said to be the spores of 

 fungi certainly had a hilum, and Mr. Smith had pointed out that it was very 

 strange that a thing should have an umbilicus if it never had a parent. With 

 regard to the Penicillium, he believed that the specimen found in the fluid was 

 unripe, and in this state it might remain entire ; it was when ripe that the 

 heads flew off upon contact with moisture. 



Mr. Golding expressed himself as being very much indebted to Mr. Lowne for 

 his paper, which he believed had thrown considerable light upon this question. 

 He could not help believing that there was a distinction between organic and 

 inorganic matter, and that there was something that we called life. He 

 thought that the evidence seemed conclusive that there were germs inthefluid3 

 experimented upon, and Mr. Lowne had certainly shown most conclusively that 

 under his own hands germs which had been boiled had not been destroyed by 

 the process, so that it might reasonably be believed that those found in the 

 fluids ' f Dr. Bastian had passed safely through all the ordeals which he had 

 detailed. He thought Mr. Lowne deserved espechil thanks for the very great 

 pains he had taken to ascertain what those remarkable forms were which had 

 been found in the fluids. 



Mr. T. C. White wished personally to thank Mr. Lowne for his paper, and 

 especially for the suggestion which he had thrown out, that the members of the 

 club should take this subject up. He hoped the suggestion would be acted 

 upon, and proposed that at the meeting to be held on March 24th, 1871, those 

 members who were willing to lend their aid w ould come prepared to give the 

 details and results of experiments made meanwhile. 



Mr. Collings said that some f'oubt appeared to be thrown upon the statement 

 that all the drawings of Dr. Bastian had been made upon the same scale ; he 

 had himself made the drawings, and could say that he had in every case used 

 nothing but one of Nachet's l-12th inch immersion lenses, which had since 

 been returned, and was now besieged in Paris. 



Mr. Lowne inquired if the drawings had been made by camera, and upon 

 ruled squares, and was informed that they were. 



The President said he was greatly astonished to hear that the drawings had 

 been all made under the same power ; it made them quite incomprehensible. 



Mr. Lowne said it certainly made the matter much easier to dispose of. 



The President observed that there were many drawings made under powers 

 of 2,500 diameters, which seemed far less amplified than those under considera- 

 tion. 



The President having intimated that, as an advocate in the controversy, he 



