﻿102 
  A 
  PLAIN 
  AND 
  EASY 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  of 
  Ranunculus. 
  There 
  are 
  species 
  of 
  ^Scidium 
  found 
  

  

  flourishing 
  on 
  the 
  living 
  leaves 
  of 
  other 
  plants 
  equally 
  

   interesting 
  and 
  beautiful. 
  For 
  further 
  particulars 
  of 
  

   this 
  group 
  we 
  refer 
  our 
  readers 
  to 
  a 
  companion 
  volume 
  

   on 
  " 
  Microscopic 
  Fungi." 
  

  

  TH11EADY 
  FUNGI. 
  

  

  The 
  fourth 
  group 
  contains 
  the 
  ffyphomycetes, 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  threads 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  feature. 
  These 
  

   threads, 
  which 
  bear 
  the 
  naked 
  spores, 
  are 
  white, 
  brown, 
  

   or 
  coloured, 
  and 
  the 
  best-known 
  examples 
  are 
  those 
  

   which 
  bear 
  the 
  common 
  name 
  of 
  Moulds. 
  These 
  are 
  

   amongst 
  the 
  most 
  insatiate 
  of 
  the 
  fungoid 
  race 
  ; 
  scarce 
  

   anything 
  escapes 
  them 
  : 
  — 
  dead 
  fungi 
  or 
  dead 
  spiders, 
  

   meal 
  or 
  sugar, 
  cheese 
  or 
  onions, 
  pears 
  or 
  oranges, 
  linen 
  

   or 
  glass. 
  Mouldy 
  cheese 
  may 
  be 
  relished, 
  and 
  pains 
  

   taken 
  to 
  engraft 
  or 
  bud 
  the 
  plant 
  upon 
  others, 
  yet 
  the 
  

   moulds 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  so 
  harmless. 
  In 
  certain 
  species 
  

   they 
  are 
  decidedly 
  poisonous. 
  Turpin 
  says 
  that 
  milk 
  

   arrested 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  udder 
  of 
  a 
  cow 
  was 
  found 
  

   to 
  contain 
  mould, 
  and 
  species 
  of 
  fungi 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  

   group 
  are 
  not 
  unfrequent 
  in 
  the 
  lungs 
  and 
  stomach 
  of 
  

   the 
  human 
  subject 
  in 
  certain 
  conditions 
  of 
  disease. 
  

  

  The 
  yeast-plant 
  is 
  a 
  fungus, 
  or, 
  to 
  speak 
  more 
  pre- 
  

   cisely, 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  Penkillium, 
  growing 
  and 
  increasing 
  

   almost 
  indefinitely, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  chemical 
  action 
  

   producing 
  fermentation 
  in 
  any 
  saccharine 
  matter 
  with 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  mixed. 
  When 
  microscopically 
  examined, 
  

   yeast 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  ovoidal 
  

  

  