94 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



these rocks. The abundance of Xantlioria forms on rocks frequented 

 bj gulls is noted, these plants evidently requiring a greater nitrogenous 

 supply than other lichens. 



West Galway Lichens.* — M. 0, Knowles has added many of the 

 commoner species to the lists of lichens already recorded for Galway. 

 Saxicolous lichens were plentiful ; corticolous species were rare, as are 

 trees in Galway. Among crustaceous species on the rocks, Rhizocarpon 

 geographicum and Lecidea rivulosa were most abundant and ranged from 

 the top of the hill to the shore, where side by side they covered 

 boulders that must have been frequently wetted by the sea. Some of 

 the shore patches of R. geographicum were stained blue, which the 

 author thinks may have been due to the action of iodine from decaying 

 sea-weeds. On the seashore the harvest of lichens was much greater 

 than inland, and several records were made of species found hitherto 

 in the Channel Islands or on the south coast of England. 



New Type of Spermogonium and Fertilization in Collema.f — F. 



M. Bachmann states, as a result of her research on Collema pulposum, 

 that the spermatia are not borne in spermogonia, but are few in number 

 and are borne terminally or laterally on a hypha below the surface of 

 the thallus. They are completely embedded in the thallus, and are 

 never set free. The carpogonia consists of a coiled base and a tricho- 

 gyne, which grows towards the spermatial group and fuses with one 

 spermatium. After this fusion, the trichogyne exhibits the characteristic 

 changes noted by previous observers. Bachmann considers that this 

 lichen forms a connecting link between the red algae and such fungi as 

 Pyronema ani the mildews, and resembles in many points various 

 Laboulbeniacea?. 



Mycetozoa. 



(By A. LoRRAiN Smith, P.L.S.) 



French Myxomycetes.| — S. Buchet, H. Chermezon, and F. Evrard 

 give an account of various collections of Mycetozoa made by them with 

 a view to undertaking a French flora of these organisms. The authors 

 protest against the Brussels decision as to nomenclature, and retain the 

 system adopted by Lister in 1894. They give a careful account of the 

 various French authors who have included Mycetozoa in their descrip- 

 tions of plant species — a record of thirty-five writers. The new lists 

 are then given of collections made by them in various districts. In all, 

 about 100 species have been recently met with in French territory, 

 and a total of 123 species old and new. A complete list is added of 

 French species. 



* Irish Nat., xxi. (1912) pp. 29-36. 



t Ann. Bot., xxvi. (1912) pp. 747-59 (1 pi.). 



X Bull. Soc. Mycol. France, xxviii. (1912) pp. 299-325. 



