300 Transactions British Mycological Society. 
was evident as soon as the whole was comparatively dry. During 
and immediately before the formation of capillitium and spores, 
there was no obvious evidence of extrusion of water, which is 
so notable a feature in the case of Brefeldia maxima (see 
Naturalist, July 1916), Badhamia utricularis and Physarum 
nutans in temperate regions. This may be due to the much 
higher temperature of South Malaya and the consequent more 
rapid evaporation from the outer surface of the sporangium 
walls. 
In a further experiment a piece of Schizophyllum covered 
with plasmodium was removed and placed in contact with 
fresh Hirneola hispida. The rapid development of the plas- 
modium on the new host was extraordinary, for in 24 hours 
the whole surface of the Hirneola was covered with a dense 
network of plasmodium. The tissues of the fungus at the same 
time became so soft that it was impossible to lift it without 
breaking parts away. The plasmodium on this#host assumed a 
lighter yellow colour and appeared more watery than on 
Schizophyllum. 
Attempts to develop the plasmodium from spores sown on 
Daldinea concentrica, Nummularia pithodes and Ustulina zonata 
gave negative results, and portions of plasmodium transferred 
from Schizophyllum or from Hirneola to the above-named 
fungi all died. 
A. R. SANDERSON. 
REVIEW. 
Lichens. By ANNIE LoRRAIN SMITH, F.L.S. Demy 8vo. Cloth, 
pp. 464. 135 figs. 55s. University Press, Cambridge. 
The publication of “‘Lichens,’’ the second volume of the 
Cambridge Botanical Handbooks, removes in a very efficient 
manner one of the bars to the study of Lichenology, viz. that 
caused by the lack of a comprehensive, readable, fully illus- 
trated text-book on the subject. There is within its pages much 
valuable, well arranged, recent and interesting information 
respecting these puzzling plants that will appeal to the botanist, 
who is in no way a specialist, and who would fail to be attracted 
by a lichen flora in spite of all the skill that might be expended 
upon its production. At the same time it is a book that is 
essential to all serious students of Lichenology by reason of 
the very complete and exceedingly able treatment of the subject 
with which it deals. 
The wide scope of Miss Smith’s book is plainly evident in the 
tabulated list of its contents, which, arranged under numerous 
headings and in various forms of type, immediately follows the 
