208 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



truffles had been found in previous years in the same locality, Co. 

 Limerick. 



D. McArdle * chronicles the finding of a Morel in Co. G-alway, new 

 to Ireland though not to Britain, and determined as Mitrophora 

 semilibera. The stalk is about 5 in. high, 1 in. thick at the base, the 

 pileus 1^ in. high, and free for rather more than half its height. 



Cases of Poisoning by Fungi.f — The first case is reported by V. 

 Harlay, and was found to be c<iused by Pleurotus oleariiis. The patients 

 recovered after a few hours' severe illness. The writer adds some notes 

 on the phosphorescence of this fungus. The second case is that of a 

 family who had eaten freely of Entoloma Uindum. In half an hour or 

 so violent sickness followed. The cases were attended by a doctor, who 

 describes the symptoms. The illness was not fatal. 



Alimentary Value of Amanita junquillea.J — L. Mangin claims for 

 this Agaric a high comestible value, and ciuotes from friends who have 

 eaten it constantly without any bad effect. He does not deny possible 

 cases of poisoning, but calls attention to the fact that all fungi, if 

 they are too old, or kept too long, may become poisonous ; and also 

 that some people are peculiarly sensitive to any poisonous principle 

 there might be in Agarics, while others can eat almost any species with 

 impunity. Even Amanita muscaria has been eaten without bad effects. 



Chemistry of Amanita muscaria. § — P. Q. Keegan has analysed 

 this plant, and gives the percentages of the various constituents. He 

 specially notes the presence of 15 p.c. of a ptomaine called muscarine, 

 a narcotic or nerve-poison. The scarlet colour of the pileus is not 

 due to carotin or tannin, but to the oxidative action of its tissues 

 on the nuclear matter distributed therein. The scarlet pigment is 

 similar or analogous to that in beetroot. 



Zonation in Artificial Cultures of Fungi. || — George Gr. Hedgcock 

 grew various fungi on agar plates under bell-jars of different colours, 

 thus subjecting the growing and fruiting fungus to orange, red, blue, 

 green, and white light. Under blue and white light he found that 

 there was a limited spore-production during the day, with a much 

 denser growth at night, indicating that the blue rays inhibit spore pro- 

 duction. The alternate growths formed very distinct zones in the 

 cultures. 



New Colour Scheme for Fungi. If — Paul Klincksieck draws atten- 

 tion to the great number of terms uncertainly used to distinguish 

 colours, and cites sixteen terms used for shades of white alone. Instead 

 of names or coloured plates he proposes numbers. The primary colours 

 are placed at the angles of a triangle, a circle drawn round the outside 



* Irish Naturalist, xv. (1906) pp. 158-9. 



t Bull. Soc. Mycol. Frauce, xxii. (1906) pp. 271-4 and 279-80. 

 X Tom. cit., pp. 276-8. 

 § Naturalist, Nov. 1906, pp. 397-8. 



I Seventeenth Ann. Rep. Wiss. Bot. Gard,, 1906, p. 115 (2 pis.). See also 

 Bot. CentralbL, cii. (1906) pp. 637-8. 



f Bull. Soc. Mycol. France, xxii. (1906) pp. 266-70 (1 fig.). 



