[VoL. 3 
502 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 
greater activity than that of the mycelium. Some sporopho- 
ral enzyme dispersion, added to hydrogen peroxide in an 
evaporating dish, showed active evolution of oxygen, but the 
mycelial dispersion treated in the same way gave none. 
Oxidase action was shown by use of guaiacum and par- 
aphenylenediamine but not with alpha-naphthol. The ex- 
periments were set up in the following way, and each series 
in duplicate: То 5 се. of the fresh fungous extract were 
added 5 drops of hydrogen peroxide and 10 drops of the indi- 
cator. With the guaiacum a faint blue tinge was produced in 
2 hours when the mycelial extract was used. When an extract 
from the dried sporophores was used in the same way the 
blue color was more distinct in 2 hours. The paraphenylene- 
diamine gave a brownish color in about 6 hours both in the 
sporophoral and mycelial extracts. 
Tyrosinase was demonstrated both in the sporophores and 
mycelium. The substrate used was a suspension of tyrosin 
in distilled water. To 10 ce. of this suspension 2 ce. of enzyme 
dispersion were added. There was no oxidation in the auto- 
claved controls, but in 16 hours the suspension containing 
mycelial dispersion had become a light gray, while that con- 
taining the sporophoral dispersion was a dark gray. Tyrosin 
when oxidized becomes black, but here where only partially 
oxidized it shows a gray color. The tyrosinase is more active 
in the fruiting bodies, as in the case of catalase and other 
oxidases. 
SUMMARY 
In this paper there are considered some of the more im- 
portant aspects of the physiology of a wood-destroying 
organism, Lenzites saepiaria. 
1. The fungus was grown in pure cultures, and the char- 
acteristics of the mycelium and sporophores produced under 
cultural conditions are described. 
2. Some factors influencing the growth and metabolism of 
the organism are discussed, and experimental results are 
given on the relations of the fungus to reaction of media, to 
water, and to oxygen. Special interest is attached to the in- 
