The Koyal Society, Loudoa. 45 



l'ungus is tlms piit beyoiul question, thougli the peculiar behaviour 

 of tlie devcloping ascogenous tufts at one time rendered it questio- 

 nable wliether tlie older views as to the relationships werc not 

 more probable. 



No one had hitherto been able to trace the germiuation of 

 these aseosporcs — the only spores known previously — and 

 De Bary expressly stated his faiinre to do it. The author tinds 

 that they require digcsting in gastric juiee, and so in Nature they 

 have to pass through the stomach of the animah By using ai'ti- 

 tieial gastric juice, and employing glue and other products of 

 hydrol^^sis of hörn, the details of germination and growth into 

 mycelia, capable of infecting hörn, were traced step by st-ep under 

 the microscope and fully described. 



No trace of any morphological structure coraparable to sexual 

 Organs could be discovered, though many points suggest the 

 alliance of this fimgiis with Erysipheae and Truffles. 



The author also found that similar digestion promotes the 

 germination of the chlamydospores, and in botli cases has not only 

 traced the germination step by step, but has made measurements 

 of the growth of the mycelium, indueed the formation of chlamy- 

 dospores on the mycelium again, and by transferring vigorous 

 young mycelia to thiu shavings of hörn has observed the infection 

 of the latter. 



It thus becomes evident that the spores of Onygena pass 

 through the body of an animal in Nature, and, as might be 

 expected from this, extract of the animal's düng affords a suitable 

 food medium to re-start the growth on hörn. Probably the cattle 

 lick the Onygena spores from their own or each other's hides, 

 lioofs, horns, etc., and this may explain why the fungus is so 

 rarely observed on the living animal: it is recorded from such 

 in at least one case however. 



Very little is known as to the Constitution of hörn, and some 

 experiments have been made to try to answer the question — 

 what changes the fungus brings aljout. The research has also 

 obvious bearings on the question of the decomposition of hair, 

 hörn, feathers, hoofs, etc., used as manure in agriculture. Although 

 a bacterial decomposition of hoof substance is known to the 

 author, special investigation of the question showed that in the 

 present case no symbiosis between bacteria and the Onygena 

 exists. 



For the details as to the literature, the discussion as to the 

 systematic position of Onygena, the experimental cultures, growth 

 measurements, and the histology, the reader is referred to the füll 

 paper, which is illustrated by plates and numerous drawings. 



Jones, L. R., The Vermont Botauical Club. (Rhodora. Vol. I. 1899. No. 5. 

 p. 77-78.) 



