ISO CURRENT NOTICES 



salt water from the River Medway ; but I have found it in much 

 greater abundance in a ditch supplied by a meadow stream of 

 perfectly fresh water. 



Mimicry in Fungi. — " Instances of mimicry are not rare 

 amongst fungi. They are more frequently attractive than pro- 

 tective mimicries. They may be of vegetable, of animal, or of 

 excrementitious substances, either as regards external appearance, 

 or as regards colour. The main object of these mimicries is the 

 attraction of insects, the advantages of which to plants are: — (i) 

 either fertilisation of hymenomycetous spores by co-specific sper- 

 matia from other individuals, or by the transportation of spores 

 from the hymenium of one fungus to that of another, or perhaps 

 increased germinative energy to the spores is obtained by the ad- 

 mixture of other co-specific spores without the element of sexuality; 

 (2) the diffusion of the fungus spores by insects as well as by the 

 larger animals." 



Grevillea. 



The Practical Naturalist for May contains the first of what 

 promises to be a series of good papers, entitled " Hints for 

 Museum Curators." No. i gives some practical hints on Pre- 

 servatives, Tools, &c. 



The American Naturalist fully maintains its character. 

 Amongst the papers of more than common interest to the Micro- 

 scopist are : — The Development of the Male Prothallium of the 

 Field Horsetail, illustrated with two plates ; Heterogenetic Develop- 

 ment in Diaptomus, illustrated with three plates of fresh water 

 Entomostraca ; Remarks on the Morphology of Arteries, es- 

 pecially those of the Limbs, illustrated with four plates, three of 

 which are coloured ; Pitcher Plants, (S:c. &c. 



We notice that two new departments have been added to the 

 Naturalist this year, and that some -^d pages have been added 

 to each monthly part. 



" Wherever Science looks with close and careful eyes, life ap- 

 pears to be found. The deepest sea-soundings reveal the existence 

 of cejjhalopods, brittle stars, or lower genera ; the upper waters are 

 full of invisible creatures ; the dust of the air is laden with germs 

 and infusoria , and there is no part of any living bodies but seems 

 to be peopled with countless parasitical dwellers. It is a little 



