336 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



one only in each is functional, and their fusion forms the nucleus of the- 

 oospore. The author is inclined, as a result of his study, to place 

 Pythium in the Peronosporefe rather than in the Saprolegnieae, although 

 it occupies somewhat of an intermediate position between the two. 



Bovista ammophila.* — This fungus was originally described and 

 figured by Leveille. According to N. Patouillard and P. Hariot, the 

 specimen in the Paris Museum is still the only one that is authentic. 

 They have redescribed it, and on account of the sterile base and the 

 form of the capillitium they have placed it in the genus Bovistella which 

 now includes three species B. radicata, B. paludosa, and B. ammophila. 

 The plant accepted in this country and in America as B. ammophila 

 must, the authors declare, belong to another species. They add some 

 notes on several little known species of Bovista. 



Mycorhiza.j — J. Beauverie gives an account of the occurrence of a 

 filamentous fungus in the thallus of a hepatic, Fegatella conica. The 

 fungus attacked and entered the rhizoids and spread to the cells of the 

 thallus with which they lived in symbiosis. The plants devoid of fungi 

 were found to be less vigorous and less highly coloured along the nerve. 

 The fungus itself depended on the presence of humus in the soil. 

 M. Beauverie found by experiment that when there was much mycelium 

 present, the chlorophyll was extremely inactive, the plant seemingly 

 drawing some of its carbohydrates from the humus by means of the 

 fungus. The fungus was found to be a species of Fusarium, spores 

 being produced both in the cells of the host-plant and also in artificial 

 cultures. 



Underground Species of Urophlyctis.J — While describing this new 

 fungus, P. Magnus takes occasion to discuss the systematic position of 

 the genus in relation to Cladochytrium and Physoderma. There are only 

 a few species of Urophlyctis, all of them parasites, either on the roots or 

 on the aerial parts of the plants attacked. The new species U. Bub- 

 saameni formed large galls on the roots of Bumex scutatus. On exami- 

 nation the galls were found to be full of the brown resting-spores of 

 the fungus. It was collected by E. H. Eiibsaamen in the neighbour- 

 hood of St. Goar. 



Decomposition of Butter-Fat. § — 0. Laxa notes, as the most active 

 agents in this process, several varieties of moulds — Penicillium glaucum, 

 a Mucor, and Oidium lactis. Some yeasts and bacteria, although active 

 peptonisers of casein, exerted but slight action on butter-fat, and several 

 varieties of lactic acid bacteria and of Tyrothrix were inactive. 



By first triturating Penicillium and Mucor with glass powder, the 

 author was able to obtain a sterile solution containing an enzyme which 

 decomposed monobutyrin and butter-fat in a characteristic manner. The 

 glycerides of the insoluble acids were the first to be decomposed, but 

 those of the soluble acids were most extensively affected. 



Duclaux suggested that the decomposition of butter-fat was due to 



* Journ. de Bot., xvi. (1902) p. 11-4. 

 t Comptes Rendus, cxxxiv. (1902) pp. 616-8. 

 X Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Ges., xix. (1902) pp. 145-53 (1 pi.). 



§ Arch. Hygiene, xli. (1901) pp. 119-51. See also Journ. Chem. Soc, Feb. 1902, 

 Abstr. ii. p. 97. 



