﻿154 
  Miscellaneous. 
  

  

  Two 
  other 
  natural-history 
  articles 
  are 
  of 
  botanical 
  interest, 
  

   dealing 
  with 
  the 
  diseases 
  of 
  certain 
  important 
  plants. 
  Both 
  are 
  

   from 
  the 
  pen 
  of 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  Brunchorst. 
  The 
  first 
  (in 
  Norwegian) 
  is 
  a 
  

   revision 
  of 
  the 
  plant-diseases 
  of 
  economic 
  importance 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  

   Norway, 
  and 
  gives 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  journey 
  undertaken 
  by 
  

   the 
  author 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  investigating 
  the 
  diseases 
  which 
  affect 
  

   the 
  principal 
  cultivated 
  plants, 
  and 
  contains 
  his 
  observations 
  upon 
  

   barley, 
  rye 
  and 
  oats, 
  potatoes, 
  clover, 
  turnips, 
  and 
  kale, 
  also 
  upon 
  

   natural 
  pine-woods, 
  fruit-trees, 
  hops, 
  and 
  roses. 
  In 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  

   cases 
  the 
  mischief 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  fungi, 
  which 
  is 
  also 
  tho 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  

   disease 
  of 
  the 
  black-fir 
  (Pinus 
  austriaea), 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   Dr. 
  Brunchorst's 
  second 
  memoir 
  (in 
  German). 
  This 
  disease, 
  which 
  

   attacks 
  the 
  needles 
  and 
  twigs 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  

   injurious 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  fungus 
  which 
  causes 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  identified 
  fur- 
  

   ther 
  than 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  pycnidian 
  stage 
  of 
  an 
  Ascomycetan. 
  It 
  also 
  

   attacks 
  the 
  dwarf 
  pine 
  (Pinus 
  montana), 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  planted 
  

   over 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Norway. 
  This 
  paper 
  is 
  

   illustrated 
  with 
  two 
  plates. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  other 
  article 
  in 
  this 
  Report 
  is 
  an 
  account 
  by 
  M. 
  A. 
  

   Lorange 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  in 
  a 
  mound 
  near 
  the 
  Karmsuud 
  of 
  a 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  vessel 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  Vikings 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  antiquary 
  will 
  

   also 
  find 
  some 
  interesting 
  objects 
  figured 
  upon 
  two 
  plates 
  representing 
  

   specimens 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Museum 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  MISCELLANEOUS. 
  

   On 
  a 
  new 
  Parasite 
  of 
  Amphiura. 
  By 
  J. 
  Walter 
  Fewkes. 
  

  

  The 
  Secretary 
  read 
  a 
  communication 
  on 
  the 
  parasitism 
  of 
  a 
  Crusta- 
  

   cean 
  in 
  the 
  brood-cavities 
  of 
  a 
  common 
  brittle-star 
  (Amphiura 
  squa- 
  

   mata), 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  discovered 
  while 
  at 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  Marine 
  

   Laboratory 
  at 
  Newport. 
  

  

  The 
  Ophiurans, 
  or 
  brittle-stars, 
  have 
  two 
  methods 
  of 
  development 
  

   or 
  metamorphosis, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  direct 
  and 
  indirect. 
  In 
  the 
  indirect 
  

   the 
  young 
  passes 
  through 
  a 
  stage 
  called 
  the 
  pluteus, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   visional 
  organism 
  is 
  developed 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  young 
  form 
  by 
  

   budding, 
  the 
  provisional 
  organism 
  or 
  pluteus 
  being 
  eventually 
  ab- 
  

   sorbed 
  by 
  the 
  growing 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  brittle-star. 
  Our 
  common 
  

   OpJiiopholis 
  (0. 
  aculeata) 
  has 
  such 
  a 
  pluteus. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  other 
  

   Ophiurans, 
  such 
  as 
  Amphiura, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  free 
  pluteus 
  in 
  

   their 
  metamorphosis, 
  but 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  developed, 
  without 
  nomadic 
  

   stages, 
  in 
  special 
  sacs 
  of 
  the 
  mother, 
  called 
  brood-sacs, 
  of 
  which 
  

   there 
  are 
  ten 
  situated 
  in 
  pairs 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  [bases 
  of 
  the] 
  arms. 
  

   The 
  young 
  Amphiura 
  passes 
  its 
  early 
  life 
  in 
  these 
  sacs, 
  at 
  first 
  at- 
  

   tached 
  by 
  an 
  umbilicus, 
  afterwards 
  free, 
  and 
  remains 
  there 
  until 
  it 
  

  

  