222 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



for 1901. M. Barbier gives the date of growth, and notes the species 

 that are edible. French species of the genus Amanita have been revised 

 by P. Dumee. 



M. Menier and Dr. U. Monnier have conducted a series of experi- 

 mental researches on volvate Agarics (Amanita and Volvaria). They 

 find that Volvaria glniocephala is innocuous, that Amanita mappa is 

 poisonous to a limited extent only, and they confirm the deadly poisonous 

 nature of A. muscarius and A.phalloides. The investigators studied the 

 physiological effect of the poisons on the dogs that died from eating the 

 fungi. 



Fr. Helier records an instance of poisoning caused by eating Ento- 

 loma lividum. The cases did not, however, prove fatal. He also gives 

 an account of the fungi which grow on leather and help to bring about 

 its decomposition. 



Fungus Flora of Tyrol.* — Count von Sarnthein gives a list of the 

 larger fungi of the Tyrol made from specimens observed by himself in 

 September. 



South American Fungi. — P. Hennings f gives a preliminary list of 

 fungi from Brazil. The new species are Puccinia Ruberi, growing on 

 the leaves of Panicum ovalifolium, Meliola paraensis, on leaves of Vitex, 

 Claviceps pallida var. Orthocladse, Oordiceps olivaceo-virescens, Phyllachora 

 Huberi, Auerswaldia Guilielmse, Leptosphseria saccharicola, Tryblidiella 

 Loranthi, Septoria Spigelise, and Melasmia Loranthi. Many of the species 

 grew in the botanical gardens at Para. 



L. Romell J gives an account of the fungi collected on the Regnell 

 expedition to Brazil (1892-94), by C. A. M. Lindman and G. 0. Malme. 

 They belong almost entirely to the more durable and portable forms such 

 as Polyporus and Hydnum. The new species are Lentinus angustif alius, 

 Chsetoporus melleofulvus, Hirneola albida, Fomes subfomentarius, Trametes 

 fumosoavellanea, Phseoporus luteoumbrinus, P. ferrugineus, Pelloporus 

 hamatu8, Polyporus roseofuscus and Lenzites distantifolia. The author 

 lays special stress on the size of the pores in the Polyporese and on the 

 form and dimensions of the spores. Many of the species are illustrated 

 by reproductions from photographs. 



Blue Colour in Fungi.§ — G. Bertrand has investigated the nature of 

 "the blue colour produced by the exposure to the air of certain species of 

 Boletus, but which rapidly disappears. It is extracted by alcohol as a 

 yellow liquid, from which the author succeeded in crystallising the 

 chromogen, to which he gives the name boletol. It has the properties of 

 a phenol-acid, and is turned blue on exposure to the air by the addition 

 of laccase, though only with difficulty. The presence of manganese, or 

 of a compound of manganese, appears to be necessary for the production 

 of the blue colour. 



On the Toxic Properties of some Copper Compounds. || — One of the 

 most universal and most valuable fungicides is known as Bordeaux mix- 



* Oest. Bot. Zeitschr., li. (1901) pp. 473-80. 



+ Bol. Mus. Para. Hist. Nat., iii. (1901) pp. 231-7. 



% Bin. k. Svensk. Vet.-Akad. Handl., xxvi. pt. iii. No. 12. 



§ Comptes Rendus, cxxxiii. (1901) pp. 1233-6. 



|| Bot. Gaz., xxxiii. (1902) pp. 26-48 (7 figs.). 



