12 REVIEWS. 



marks are so important and interesting, that we subjoin a portion of 

 them. M. Tulasne says — 



"The type of the genus Nyctalis is Agaricus parasiticus of Bulliard, a Fungus 

 which very frequently nourishes in its parenchyma another Fungus, parasitic upon it, 

 viz., Asterophora agaricicola (Cord.), Asterotrichum Ditmaii (Bonord.). Its appear- 

 ance is then so altered, as to have led to its being mistaken by Bulliard himself, who 

 called it by a name different from its former one, viz., Agaricus lycoperdoides. This 

 error has been repeated by Ditmar, and aggravated by Fries, who has imagined that he 

 has found in Agaricus lycoperdoides (Bull ) matter for many different species. More 

 recently, however, Vittadini, Corda, Klotzsch, Berkeley, and other authors, have recog- 

 nised two different vegetable entities in Agaricus lycoperdoides (Bull.), and we have 

 adopted their opinion.* M. De Bary, on the contrary, not only revives Bulliard's view 

 in distinguishing Ag. lycoperdoides (Bull.) from Ag. parasiticus (Bull.) ; but he main- 

 tains that the Asterophora (Asterotrichum, Bonord), the presence of which, in our opi- 

 nion, constitutes the only difference between the first and the second, so far from being 

 a foreign production or vegetable parasite, is nothing less than a secondaty reproductive 

 apparatus proper to Ag. lycoperdoides (Bull.) (Nyctalis asterophora, Fr., Bary). In 

 support of his opinion, he alleges that Ag. parasiticus (Bull.) also possesses an analogous 

 apparatus, and that both in the one and the other Agaric this subsidiary fructification is 

 extremely constant, and always similarly arranged. He admits, however, that the 

 latter excludes the normal or reproductive apparatus, very frequently in Ag. lycoper- 

 doides (Bull.), and always, it would seem, in Ag. parasiticus (Bulk). He admits also that 

 the secondary spores may well be compared to those of certain fungicolous Fungi, such 

 as Sepedonium, the autonomy and parasitic nature of which he does not venture to 

 doubt. Further, M. De Bary does not deny that it is generally very difficult to make 

 out with certainty, even by the most minute microscopic investigation, the portions of 

 the tissue which belong respectively to the parasite and to its host. This uncertainty, 

 and still more the many reasons to be derived from analogy, weaken the conclusions of 

 M. De Bary, If Asterophora agaricicola (Cord.) so much resembles Sepedonium, may it 

 not, like Sepedonium, be an autonomous parasite, rather than an integral portion of 

 Agaricus lycoperdoides (Bull.) ; and may not the supposed reproductive apparatus of 

 Ag. parasiticus (Bull.) constitute another kind of Sepedonium ? It has been objected 

 that the organisms in question are always developed in the same place and at the same 

 time, and that they are not met with upon other Agarics ; but are not these very cha- 

 racters the distinguishing marks of many admitted Agaricine parasites — for instance, of 

 Sphozria lateritia (Fr ), which is only produced on the hymenium of Ag. deliciosus (L.), 

 where it causes an almost entire abortion of the gills? Moreover, the supposed second- 

 ary fructification of Ag. parasiticus so nearly resembles on the one hand that of Astero- 

 phora, and on the other that of certain Sepedonia, common parasites of the Boleti, as to 

 destroy all our faith in M. De Bary's hypothesis. In our opinion, the proof of the exist- 

 ence of a double fructification in the Agarics must be sought for elsewhere. 



"Numerous observations have convinced us that Asterophora, Sepedonium, and 

 Mvcogone are the conidioid condition of species of Sphceria of the genus Hypomyces 

 (Fr.)." 



If M. Tulasne' s views are correct, Sepedonium must be struck out 

 of the genera of fungi, as also Trichoderma, which he considers to be 

 only an imperfect state of Hypocrea rufa. 



Some few other genera admitted by Mr. Berkeley — for instance, 

 Micropera, Isaria, Helminthosporium, Piggotia, Coniothecium, Apo- 

 sphceria, and some others, will probably eventually share the same fate; 

 but, in the present state of our knowledge, Mr. Berkeley could hardly 



* See " Ann. des Sc. Nat." 3rd Series, t. xx. (1853), p. 27, note 2. 



