34 PROGRESS OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 



chelre is narrow, and ends in a hook. Whether this mite is a true 

 parasite of the ear of the living ox, or whether it obtained access to 

 the position in which it was found after the death of the ox in the 

 slaughter-house, has not yet been determined. Dr. Turnbull ob- 

 served it only in the position indicated. 



Tea and Cotton Blights. — 'Grevillea' for December contains an inter- 

 esting paper on the above, by the editor, Mr. M. C. Cooke, M.A. He 

 says that the tea-planters of Cachar have been complaining of late 

 that the leaves of the tea-plants have become blighted, so as to 

 interfere seriously with the production of tea. Two or three of the 

 diseased leaves have been sent us for examination. They were not in 

 good condition for the purpose, but on one we detected some punctures 

 of an insect, and on two of the others a parasitic fungus. The leaves 

 are blistered, deformed, and stunted ; the fungus appearing on both 

 surfaces like minute black points. The following is a description 

 drawn up from the dry specimens : — Hendersonia thetecola. sp. nov. — 

 Perithecia globose, black, prominent, pierced at the apex, scattered 

 over both surfaces, or sub-gregarious ; spores cylindrical, rounded at 

 the ends, triseptate, pale brown, on long hyaline pedicels ( ■ 0004- 

 •0005 in.), 01- -0125 mm. long, without the pedicels. On leaves of 

 Thea. .Cachar, India. The ultimate cells have sometimes a more 

 hyaline appearance, but we could detect no terminal cilia, otherwise 

 it reminds us of such species of Pestalozzia as P. Gnepini, which occurs 

 on Camellia leaves. The only remedy we can suggest is to pick off 

 the diseased leaves and burn them. What portion of the destruction 

 is also due to the insect we have no material for determination, but 

 both are probably culpable. From Dharwar we have also received 

 samples of " Black-blight " on naturalized American cotton. The 

 cotton presents but little external indication of disease so long as the 

 seeds remain entire, but, on crashing the seed, the cotton becomes 

 covered with a sooty powder, which at first we were disposed to regard 

 as the spores of a species of TJstilago, which entirely fills the seed. 

 After a closer examination, however, we became satisfied that the 

 spores are concatenate, being produced in chains, or jointed threads, in 

 the interior of the seed, and afterwards break up into subglobose 

 spores. This is rather an anomalous habitat for a Torula, but such, 

 nevertheless, we are disposed to regard it, and append its description. 

 Torula incarcerata. sp. nov. — Produced within the seeds of Gos- 

 sypium. Threads simple, or slightly branched, breaking up into 

 minute, subglobose, fuliginous spores. Within cottonseed. Dharwar, 

 India. It is rather to be presumed that the Torula makes its appear- 

 ance after the commencement of decay in the seed, stimulated by 

 moisture, than that it should be the cause of disease in the plant. 

 The species of Torula with which we are acquainted are produced 

 upon decaying substances, and we have no experience of any one 

 causing disease in living plants. Had this proved to have been a 

 species of Ustilago, the case would have been different, but we believe 

 that, notwithstanding its habitat, we are justified in placing it with 

 Torula. 



