1916] 
ZELLER— PHYSIOLOGY OF LENZITES SAEPIARIA 489 
marked reduetion of copper oxide from Fehling's solution 
after 2 days of incubation at 25-30°C., while the boiled con- 
trols and water controls showed no reduction. The inulinase 
seemed to be quite active in both the mycelium and sporo- 
phores, but no quantitative comparison was made. 
AMIDASE AND UREASE 
Since we found positive proof of the presence of tryptic 
and ereptic ferments in the fungus, the next logical step in 
sequence was to ascertain whether amidases were present, for 
protein digestion normally proceeds further than to the pep- 
tone stage and results in the amino acids, which, digested by 
amidases, yield ammonia and hydroxy-acids. 
In the lower fungi these desamidizing enzymes have been 
found by many workers. Butkewitsch (’03) found by growing 
cultures of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and certain species of 
Mucor on liquid media, containing proteins that ammonia is 
liberated; and in the following year Shibata (204) found in 
a ‘‘Dauerpraparat’’ of the mycelium of Aspergillus niger an 
enzyme which split ammonia from different nitrogen-contain- 
ing substances, while Pringsheim (’08) found the same enzyme 
present in ‘‘Acetonedauerhefe.’’ Dox (70) found that the 
enzyme preparation from Aspergillus niger and Penicillium 
Camemberti showed the power to split ammonia from aspar- 
agin and urea. Reed (713) found very similar results by the 
action of the enzyme powder from Glomerella rufomaculans 
on asparagin and alanin. The only record of urease from one 
of the higher fungi was that reported by Kikkoji (’07) in Cor- 
tinellus edodes. 
In the experiments reported in the following tables the 
enzyme dispersions from both the mycelium and sporophores 
and also the fungous powder from both tissues were used. As 
substrates 50 cc. of 1 per cent solutions of asparagin, acet- 
amid, and urea were used. Ten cubic-centimeter portions of 
the enzyme dispersions were used in some cases, while an 
equivalent weight of the fungous meal was used where the 
enzymes were not extracted and precipitated. Autoclaved 
controls, as well as the substrates alone, were set up for each 
