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STATE Museum or NATURAL HISTORY. 81 
that the fungus would have killed it in a short time. It would be 
interesting to know if the fungus could be communicated to healthy 
mice in their food or otherwise, but my efforts to obtain a subject on 
which to try the experiment were unsuccessful. 
Zygodesmus violaceofuscus, Sacc. 
Roots of beech. Selkirk. August. 
(D.) 
REMARKS AND OBSERVATIONS. 
Nymphea odorata, Ait. 
A form with very large leaves and flowers, equaling in size those of 
NV. tuberosa, grows in the inlet of Beaver lake, Number Four, Lewis 
county. It has the decided and delightful fragrance of the ordinary 
form. 
Rubus villosus, Ait. var. humifusus, 7. & G. 
Professor Dudley finds this variety near Ithaca. The variety fron- 
dosus 1s much more plentiful, and from it most of the cultivated varie- 
ties appear to have been derived, if we may judge by the character of 
the fruit offered for sale in the markets. It is less cylindrical, more 
acid and has larger seeds than the fruit of the typical form. I am 
quite confident that the true &. villosus would produce a fruit of far 
better quality, if brought under successful cultivation, and it seems 
strange that some of our enterprising nurserymen have not succeeded 
in introducing it into more frequent cultivation. 
Vaccinium Canadense, Kalm. 
A black-fruited variety of this valuable little shrub is plentiful at 
Number Four, Adirondack wilderness. There is also a black-fruited 
variety of V. vaccillans. 
These varieties do not appear to have been designated by name, 
but they correspond to variety nigrum of V. Pennsylvanicum and 
variety atrococcum of V.\corymbosum. Thus each of our common ~ 
edible blueberries has its black-fruited variety. These black fruits 
_ are destitute of the bloom of the ordinary ones, and have a shining 
luster, but are scarcely different in flavor or quality from the ordinary 
blue ones. The black huckleberry, Gaylussacia resinosa, also has its cor- 
responding variety, in which the fruit is jet black and shining. It also 
‘sometimes differs slightly in shape from the ordinary dull black 
fruit, 
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