ZOOLOGY AND I'.OTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 409 



Merulius sclerotiorum.* — M. Mobius found a species of MervUus 

 of limited extent on the floor of a house ])eneath linoleum. Mixed 

 with the mycelium he found small black sclerotia, which enabled him 

 to identify the species as described by Falck. Attempts to induce 

 germination of the sclerotia failed. A microscopic description of these 

 bodies is given. 



Belgian Fungi. t — C. Van Bambeke continues his study of species, 

 most of them collected in the neighbourhood of Ghent. He makes 

 very large use of microscopic characters, and he has figured the hymenial 

 tissue, basidia, spores and cystidia of many of the species. He has 

 given special attention to the difficult genus Russula, and has followed 

 Eene Maire in his classification and description of the different species, 

 the distinction between different forms being well shown in the text 

 figures. 



Danish Fungi. J— An important book on the Fungi of Denmark, 

 as represented in Rostrup's herbarium, has been prepared and issued by 

 J. Lind. An historical account is given of Rostrup and of the botanists 

 who have contributed to the Fungus Flora. There are 3324 species 

 listed with habitat, etc., a large number of them microscopic species, 

 with the hosts indicated in the case of parasites. The season of growth 

 is also given, and various descriptive notes are added. The book is 

 written in English, and is well illustrated. 



Contributions to the Physiology of Growth in Fungi. § — L. F. 

 Celakovsky experimented with Mucor and Aspergillus on a series of 

 nutrient media. In Mucor he finds that the conidiophore has begun 

 to form before the plant leaves the substratum, though it does not attain 

 its complete form until it emerges into the open. Special attention was 

 given to the conditions inducing or affecting guttation of the aerial 

 organs. The secretion of water occurred with special abundance in 

 Aspergillus clavatus. Notes and theories are given as to the occurrence 

 of conidiophores, and water-drops and their connexion with the differ- 

 ent substrata are discussed. 



Use of the Green Muscardine in the Control of some Sugar- 

 cane Pests. II — J. B. Rorer describes the efforts made to reduce the 

 number of froghoppers (Tomaspis varia), which cause a blight of 

 sugar-cane in Trinidad. The green Muscardine fungus, Metarrhizinum 

 anisopUae, is a very active and destructive parasite of the froghopper in 

 the adult and nymphal stages. Female froghoppers when once infected 

 die before oviposition. Various methods have been used to start in- 

 fection. In one case froghoppers have been caught and placed in a 

 tube along with a culture of the fungus. They are then set free, and 

 may be relied on to become centres of infection. By another method 



^ * Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., xxxi. (1913) pp. 147-50 (1 pi.). 



t Bull. Soc. Eoy. Bot. Belgique, xlix. (1913) pp. 37-111 (23 figs.). 

 X Danish Fungi. Copenhagen (1913) 648 pp. (9 pis. and 42 figs.). 

 § SB. k. Bohm. Ges. Wiss. Math. Naturw. CI., 1912, p. 81. 

 II Phytopathology iii. (88-92 (1 pi.). 



