ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 607 



Black Moulds (Mucoraceae).* — Leva B. Walker has prepared a 

 somewhat popular account of Mucoraceae. She gives a biological history 

 of the group, describing the methods of fructification, etc., and then 

 gives a systematic account of the six tril)es of the family, with the genera 

 and species. Synoptic keys are given of the most typical and abundant 

 forms. 



Study of Synchytriege.f — Gertrud Tobler-AVolff has published a 

 monograph of this group of fungi. She gives an historical account of 

 the genera, with the morphology, development, cytology, and biological 

 conditions of each ; as also the influence on the host-plant and the 

 geographical distribution. She has included several new species of 

 Synchytrium in her survey — one found in the hairs of Symphytum 

 officinale, one on Salix repens^ and a third on FiUpeyidula Uhnaria, which 

 is described as new. The larger part of the monograph deals with 

 the systematic arrangement of genera and species. 



Green-coloration of Woody Ascomycetes.j: — Paul Yuillemin gives 

 as the usual agents of green coloration Helotium seruyinosum and 

 H. seruyinascens. The two species differ in the size of asci and spores. 

 The colour is given to the wood by the filaments of the fungus which 

 penetrate the woody tissues. The latter remains firm and evidently 

 uninjured, as the wood is frequently used to make various articles. 



Leptosphasria lemane8e.§ — This pyrenomycetous fungus is parasitic 

 on Lemania fluviatilis, a fresh-water alga, and is confined to the 

 genus ; attempts made by W. B. Brierley (who has written an account 

 of the plant) to infect other aquatic plants were unsuccessful. The 

 author has described the development of the perithecium ; the evidence 

 for sexual fusion is not very clear : paraphyses are not found. A descrip- 

 tion is given of the various cultures of spores, etc., the relation of the 

 parasite to the host, etc. Brierley questions the propriety of including 

 the species in Leptosphseria, on account of the absence of paraphyses 

 and the colourless spores. 



Penicillium Petchii sp. n.|| — The new Penicillium was isolated by 

 T. Petch from freshly coagulated indiarubber from South America. 

 A. Sartoy and Gr. Bainier have subjected it to various cultural and 

 experimental tests, the results of which are carefully set down. The 

 fungus grew on nearly all tlie culture media usually employed in myco- 

 logy, and numerous perithecia w^ere formed. The ascopores were echinu- 

 late and non-septate. 



Biological Study of Ustilago.^ — J. BroiH and W. Schikorra have 

 made a contribution to the knowledge of the prevalence of smut. 

 Culture tests were made with seeds infected with the fungi, which were 



* Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc, xxxii. (1913) pp. 113-26 (2 pis.). 

 t Arch. Protistenk., xxviii. (1913) pp. 141-238 (4 pis.). See also Ann. Mycol.,xi. 

 (1913) p. 290. 



: Comptes Rendus, clvii. (1913) pp. 323-4. 

 § Manchester Mem., Ivii. (1913) 19 pp. (4 figs.), 

 r Ann. Mycol., xi. (1913) pp. 272-7 (1 pi.). 

 If Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., xxxi. (1913) pp. 336-9 (1 fig.). 



