Journal of Applied Microscopy. 345 



indeed finds infusoria, as before, but he also finds gametes fusing, and describes 

 the process quite fully. Several male gametes become attached to the female, 

 one of them finally fusing with it. In material collected in the morning this 

 generally occurs before noon. Nuclear fusion is usually completed before night. 

 The fusion of the female with more than one male gamete is very rare, and the 

 author gives us no information as to whether, in such a case, the second male 

 nucleus unites with the others or whether it merely disintegrates. The second 

 chromatophore in the normal zygote is said to persist. We may then say that 

 the Ectocarpaceae show sexual conditions in all stages of transition, from isogamy 

 in the lower species, through such forms as Ectocarpiis si/ici/Iosits, where there is 

 hardly more than a physiological differentiation of the gametes, to the distinct 

 heterogamy of E. sccuiidus, where the two gametes differ considerably in size. 

 The " neutral " swarm-spores, almost always in the plurilocular sporangia with 

 the gametes, arose secondarily, by the failure of the sexfusion. 



W. D. Merrell, Chicago. 



^ . , The lilac mildew Alicrosphcsra aliii is 



Magnus, P. Der Mehlthau auf Svringa vul- 

 garis in Nordamerika. Ber. d. deutsch. hot. one of the most familiar fungi in the 

 Gesell. 16: 63; pi. 2. 1S9S. United States. This paper calls atten- 



tion to the fact that in Germany, where the lilac has been cultivated for a much 

 longer time, no species of Alicrosphiera is ever found upon it. c. j. c. 



A detailed description is given of the 



Pammel, L. H. The Histology of the Caryopsis „,,„^„,,-,- „i phararters of various snecies 



and Endosperm of Some Grasses. Trans. 'Anatomical cnaracters Ol various species 



Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 8: 199-220, pi. 17- and, at the close, a synopsis of ana- 

 "^' ' ^ ■ tomical characters for the tribes. In 



the latter the features are starch grains, aleurone cells, testa, and pericarp. The 

 different tribes present wide structural differences. Compound starch grains 

 seem to be quite general in grasses, the endosperm always contains protein 

 except in the aleurone layer, and fat is present in small amounts. The figures, 

 which were drawn by Miss King, illustrate very clearly the points described in 

 the text. ■ c. j. c. 



This excellent article appeared in the 



Farlow, W. G. Some Ediljle and Poisonous ,, , , r ^^ r\ ^ ,. c \ • 



Fun^. U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Div. Yearbook of the Department of Agri- 



Veg. Phys. and Path. Bull. No. 15, pp. 453- culture for 1897, but the demand for 



470, P • 21-30, I 9 . literature on this subject has been so 



great that it was found desirable to republish the paper in the form of a bulletin. 



After describing the mode of growth of toadstools (including mushrooms) and the 



characteristic modifications of fungi, rules are given for the determination of the 



edible gill-bearing fungi. Poisonous species are also carefully described. Other 



topics are : less common edible fungi ; tube-bearing fungi ; teeth-bearing fungi ; 



some other edible forms ; morels and truffies ; puffballs. In the summary, the 



following rules are given for the benefit of the beginner : 



" (1) Avoid fungi when in the button or unexpanded stage ; also those in which 

 the flesh has begun to decay, even if only slightly. (2) Avoid all fungi w'hich 

 have stalks with a swollen base surrounded by a sac-like or scaly envelope, 



