586 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



and Oidium lactis on Camembert and Roquefort cheese. The subjects 

 treated are : the relation of moulds to acidity, the breaking down of the 

 casein, liquefaction of gelatin, and flavours. He also examined the 

 effects on the fungus, the growth of the mycelium and the relation of 

 temperature and humidity to it, the question of contamination, and the 

 vitality of the spores. 



Mycological Observations.* — F. W. Neger sums up a series of 

 notes on various fungi. He cites the evidence for and against the 

 existence of the two species, Splicer otheca mors-uvce and Sph. tomentosa. 

 He believes them to be specifically distinct. He describes a new species, 

 Urophlyctis Magnusiana, which was destroying plants of Euphrasia, 

 causing swellings on the stalks and leaves. He affirms the immunity of 

 certain, if not all, fir-trees against Neetria cinnabarina. Two occurrences 

 of dry-rot in the open woods are recorded, and finally he describes the 

 mechanism insuring the ejection of spores in SarcospJmria sepulta, 

 which is largely affected by the change from a moist to a dry atmosphere. 



Destruction of Wood by Fungi .| — Basilius Malenkovie made a 

 series of cultures with Coniophora cerebella to determine which were the 

 elements in the wood destroyed by the fungus. He grew it on bread 

 pulp as well as on wood, and came to the general conclusion that 

 C. cerebella will destroy almost all substances that can be isolated from 

 wood after they have been split up by lignolytic enzymes. He found 

 that the results obtained were not exactly the same for all wood-destroy- 

 ing forms, but it was proved from them all that more wood was destroyed 

 than was used in the nutrition of the fungus. Tables are given of the 

 different cultures and the results ascertained. 



Notes on Poisonous Fungi 4 — Mazimann, Plassard, and X. Gillot 

 describe some maps of poisonous fungi that they have prepared, to warn 

 people against using certain species for food. They have also pub- 

 lished pictures of the edible forms. Gillot § gives further information 

 about several poisonous species. He describes the circumstances in 

 which these forms have been gathered and the bad effects that have 

 followed on eating them. He cites as very dangerous Amanita pantherina 

 which had been confounded with A. rubescens by some collectors. 

 M. Barbier || gives an account of poisoning following on the con- 

 sumption of Entoloma lividum. 



French Mycology.lf — Ant. Magnin describes various exhibitions of 

 fungi that have been held at Besancon. The plants were arranged in 

 different series, as edible fungi, poisonous fungi, rare or curious forms, 

 etc. The writer comments on the success attending these exhibitions, 

 and on the great interest shown in the subject by the non-botanical 

 inhabitants. 



* Ann. Mycol., iv. (1906) pp. 279-87. 



t Centralbl. Bakt., svi. (1906) pp. 405-16 (1 fig.). 



X Bull. Soc. Mycol. France, xxii. (1906) pp. 164-5. 



§ Tom.cit., pp. 166-9. || Tom. cit. p. 170. 



1 Tom. cit., pp. 171-82. 



