I 2 British Urcdinece mid UstilazinccE. 



glass. These footmarks were found, upon microscopic 

 examination, to contain the spermatia of the Endophyllum. 

 Further investigation of the subject led him to the con- 

 clusion that this sugary matter in the spermogonial 

 contents acts as a bait to attract insects, and he has 

 observed some 135 species, of which 31 were Coleoptera, 

 32 Hymenoptera, 64 Diptera, and 8 Hemiptera, thus visiting 

 various spermogonia. The examination of the spermo- 

 gonia of Uroniyces pisi, Puccinia snaveolens, fiisca, trago- 

 pogonis, pimpiuellce, EndopJiyllum euphorbice, Gymnosporan- 

 giiim sabiiK^, and G. jwiiperinmn, gave rise to copious 

 deposits of suboxide of copper, when the washings of the 

 affected leaves in distilled water were treated with Fehling's 

 solution ; less was obtained from Uroinyces dactylidis, Puccinia 

 graminis, coronata, rnbigo-vera, sylvatica, violcB, Gymnospo- 

 rangiiun clavaricefoi'me, and Aicidiuin inagelJi(Eniciim, and 

 least of all with Puccinia poariini and y^cidium clematidis. 

 Some of the spermogonial contents actually taste sweet 

 when the tongue is applied to them, as those of G. sabincs 

 3.nd ju7iiperi?i7nn. The spermogonial contents of G. sabincs 

 were further found to contain dextrose and laevulose, the 

 latter predominating. 



Insects are not only attracted to the spermogonia 

 by their saccharine contents, but also by the powerful 

 odours which many of them possess. Persoon * long ago 

 noticed the penetrating odour of the spermogonia of 

 Puccinia sua-veolens, which precede its uredospores ; 

 hence he called the Uredo, suaveoleiis. In a paper upon 

 " Mimicry in Fungi," f I pointed out the probability of this 

 odour being for the purpose of attracting insect visitors, 

 mimicking as it does the perfume of the flowers oi y^nothera 

 biennis. Sowerby had already observed the fact that flies 



* Persoon, " Synopsis Fungorum,'' p. 221. 



t riowrighl, " Mimicry in Fungi," " Grevillea," vol. x. pp. 1-14. 



