708 SUMMARY OF CQERENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Belg^ian Sclerodermae.* — Ch. Van Bambeke lias issued an account of 

 the few Belgian forms of this genus. He sketches their occurrence in 

 literature, and finally describes the four species that occur in Belgium : 

 Scleroderma aurantium, S. Bovista, S. verrucosum and S. Cepa. He makes 

 great use of spore characters in diagnosing these species. The spores in 

 the two former are reticulate ; in the tAvo latter they are echinulate. 



Phalloidese of Texas.!— W. H. Long has cultivated and studied the 

 members of this group for some years, and gives interesting notes on 

 their growth and development. By gathering the " eggs " and watching 

 them expand, he was able to note variations in species and to determine 

 their relative value. The more constant characters were : colour of 

 stipe, pileus and " eggs," with surface markings of cap and structure of 

 stipe. The shape of both stipe and pileus, presence or absence of a veil, 

 size of stipe and cap, and shape and size of eggs were variable. He 

 describes 5 species : Phallus impudiais, P. ruhimndus, Mutimis 

 caninus, Simhlum spJmrocepkalum, and *S'. texense. The paper is illus- 

 strated by photographic reproductions. 



Phenomenon of Sexuality in Recent Work. J — J. Gallaud traverses 

 the whole subject of sexuality in fungi, relating the various discoveries 

 made and theories held by different workers. He begins with the 

 Phycomycetes, giving a history of the researches on Polijiyhagus, 

 Pythiimi, the Saprolegniaceaj and Peronosporacefe. All the different 

 stages of advance in our knowledge of the subject are described, with 

 the conclusions arrived at by the scientific experts in this branch of 

 cytology. The work is illustrated by copies of the illustrations published 

 in the papers of the authors under discussion. 



Mycology at the Ecole de Pharmacie.§— G. Bainier publishes a 

 series of papers, xii. to xvii., on various mycological subjects. Several 

 species of Aspergillus were carefully studied and described, one of them 

 new ; they grew on substances in the laboratory. Three new species of 

 Penicillmm are added to the genus ; they are all carefully described and 

 figured. A new genus, Scopidariopsis, has been created for those species 

 of PenmlUum (e.g. P. brevicaule) that do not rightly belong to that 

 genus, their branching and general habit being very different. Scopii- 

 lariopsis brevicaule is cultivated for the detection of minute quantities of 

 arsenic. It assimilates an infinitesimal amount, and gives out a strong 

 odour of the poison. Blucor MuceUo has the same property, and it is the 

 latter fungus that constitutes the source of danger in a wall-paper 

 coloured with arsenical green. The fungus growing on the paste used 

 to fix the paper assimilates the arsenic, and gives it out again in strong 

 arsenical fumes. Two new species of Scopulariojjsis are described. 



A new genus of Mucedineje, Guegenia, is figured and described ; it 

 bears brightly-coloured, 2-septate spores terminal on the branches of the 

 conidiophore. 



* Bull. Soc. Roy. Belg., sliii. (1906) pp. 104-14 (4 figs.). 



t Journ. MycoL, xiii. (1907) pp. 102-14 (4 pis.). 



X Rev. Gen. Bot., xix. (1907) pp. 302-4. 350-2, and 392-400 (18 figs.). 



§ Bull. Soc. Mycol. France, xxiii. (1907) pp. 90-114 (7 pis.). 



