588 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



blepharis and CEdotjonium. A somewhat full description is given of the 

 genus Bhipidium. Many of the forms have been found in the neighbour- 

 hood of Breslau. 



In a further instalment, * the same author gives an account of 

 Araio&pora, under which genus Thaxter has placed Bhipidium spinosum. 

 Araiospora possesses two kinds of sporangia, one simple, procumbent, 

 ovate ; the other strongly built and provided witli a varying number of 

 stiff horn-like processes round the opening, which are spreading, upright, 

 or bent-back, and are probably protective against different animals. The 

 oospores of Araiospora have been rarely found, in this respect differing 

 from Bhipidium in whicb the sexual generation is easily cultivated. 

 V. Minden also discusses the systematic position of Blastocladia. It is 

 still imperfectly known, as no one has succeeded in finding the sexual 

 spores. He records a new genus Macrochytrium with one species botry- 

 dioides. It has a large, broadly elliptical or globose sporangium, in 

 which are developed innumerable uniciliate spores resembling those of 

 Ghytridium. The sporangium opens by a lid which remains attached as 

 by a hinge on one side. The genus differs from Ghytridium in its abun- 

 dant mycelium and well-developed rhizoids. The author places it under 

 the "roup Hypochytriaceas near Tetr achy tr turn triceps. These fungi are 

 all rather rare, but this is largely due to oversight on the part of fungo- 

 logists. 



Sporodinia grandis. j — Georg Klebs recapitulates the work he has 

 done on zygospore formation in Sporodinia in answer to Falck and 

 Brefeld, who have denied the correctness of his statements as to the 

 factors influencing the production of zygospores. These two writers lay 

 special stress on nutriment as the determining cause. Klebs' contention 

 is that other influences come into play such as atmosphere (the amount 

 of moisture and of oxygen), quality and quantity of nutriment, light 

 and temperature. The presence of moisture in the air and the absence 

 of light were found by him to be very powerful agents in inducing the 

 formation of zygospores. He made a new series of experiments, the 

 results of which he gives in two tables. A number of cultures of 

 the fungus were started in a mixture of grape-sugar and gelatin. Some 

 of these were grown in a dry atmosphere, exposed to a clear northern 

 light, and produced only sporangia ; others were kept in a moist cham- 

 ber in the dark and zygospores alone were formed. The whole matter 

 is discussed at length, and further proofs are given by Klebs in support 

 of his theories. 



Mucor as an Alcohol Yeast.J — W. Winkler discusses the opinions 

 of various f ungologists as to the autonomy of the yeast fungus, Saccharo- 

 myces. Pasteur's idea that alcohol yeast was a form of some Hypho- 

 mycete has, he thinks, much to recommend it. He himself has proved 

 the connection between Torula and one form of Saccharomyces. In 

 order to throw more light on the question he cultivated several typical 

 yeasts in various media, to induce, if possible, an advance in growth or 

 a reversion to some other form. At the same time he selected several 



* Tom. cit., pp. 821-5. 



t But. Zeit., lx. (1902) pp. 177-99. 



% Centralbl. Bakt, 2 te Abt., viii. (1902) pp. 721 S and 753-00 (2 pis.). 



