58 



legniese ; other botanists place the Saprolegnieae amongst true fungi. If Peronos- 

 pora is, therefore, an Alga (and its extremely close relationship is doubted by 

 none), we have, in Pcroiwsporitcs antiquarius, a plant, which, from its extreme 

 antiquity, lends some favour to the views of Sachs and other evolutionists. These 

 observers place the lower Algae amongst the primaeval plants from which fungi 

 and all other cellular Cryptogams have branched. This position is hardly invalid- 

 ated by the presence of the more highly organised vascular Cryptogams li\dng at 

 the same period of time with the primordial Alga or fungus. 



"The evolution of animals and plants is quite comparable with the ages of 

 stone, bronze, and iron, with reference to the different tribes of the human family. 

 Because the stone age dates back to dim antiquity, it does not follow that it has 

 entirely vanished from off the face of the earth. It is clear that the law which called 

 the Peronosporites into existence countless ages ago is in force now, and that this 

 law produces the same results now as then. " 



ON A SINGULAR DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPORES 



OF THE PUCCINIA CONII— Fckl. 



[By the Rev. J. E. Vize.] 



On the 6th March in the present year (1877) I was passing along a field in Forden, 

 edged by a sloping bank facing westward. A plant which evidently belonged to 

 the Umbellifcra, seemed very sickly indeed as to its leaves, which were of a yellow 

 tint, instead of having the greenness of spring, and yet they were of recent growth. 

 These leaves, one or two of which I gathered, seemed to me to be suitable for a 

 Peronospora, but on turning them over I could not anywhere detect a mould. 

 Still feeling sure that the yellow tint was very unnatural, I examined the whole 

 plant carefully, and then found that near the stems at the crown of the UmbeUifer, 

 which proved to be Conium Macidatuin (Linn.), some of the stalks were attacked 

 with the Puccinia Conii of Fckel. I collected a considerable quantity of speci- 

 mens, and took them home for examination. Knowing from experience that no 

 plant for the microscope is nearly so perfect after drying for the herbarium, as 

 when mounted quite fresh, I prepared four slides at once. Looking at one of 

 them some days after, I observed that some of the spores were trilocular, and a 

 few were even more than trilocular. Moreover, the septa in some cases were very 

 peculiar ; they were not transverse, but assumed whatever angle suited them best. 

 Some of them had the pedicel irregularly placed. 1'he wood-cut accompanying 

 this paper will best show their singularities ; they are all taken from the four 

 slides, and the four slides all came from the same pustule. I hoped that every 

 pustule on every portion of the Hemlock was the same, as to development, and 

 was not aware that such was not the case for many weeks after. A friend of mine 

 in Manchester, believed, against fact, that I promised him a specimen, and rather 



