248 BOTANICAL NEWS. 
confusion has arisen in this matter, owing to the douhtful nature of the para- 
sitic hodies offish, called Psorosperms. Leydig compared these Psorosperms to 
thepseudo-navicuhe of Gregarina-, and hence inferred that they were animal para- 
sites M. Ch. Robin, on the other hand, considers Psorosperms as vegetable bo- 
dies • and Dr. Balbiani and others have described undoubtedly vegetable boches 
as Psorosperms. By an amalgamation of these two views, a vegetable granular 
mass which gives rise to Psorosperm-like bodies has got called a Gregarine. 
This is, of course, most erroneous, and has led to much misunderstanding. 
arm 
doubt, animals ; and though, in their mode of development and certain points 
of form there are great resemblances between these animals and some ot tne 
lowest A!*,*, there is, at the same time, " a hard and fast line" to be drawn 
between them, which however wants a little clearing up of imperfectly known 
forms (such as Psorosperms, etc.) to make it properly apparent. J )T - i!0X ' 
imagine, has merely used the term Gregarine in the same sense as Lmdemann 
did ; and I hope it may never be again misappropriated thus. Secondly, r 
Beigel, in his second letter to the « Lancet,' says that his P leu rococcus doesnoi 
destroy the hair, and is therefore distinct from that described by Dr. Jjor. 
Dr. Fox was good enough to send me specimens of hair with the little ar 
parasitic knots. I found that the fungus was identical with Pleurococcus 
Beigeli, and moreover that it does affect the hair. When the parasitic kno 
is removed, the hair-shaft is found to be thinner beneath than elsewhere, anu 
shreds of the hair-cuticle readily separate with the fungus from the hair. 
Truly yours, 
E. Rat Lankestee. 
Melton House, Hampstead, July 6th, 1867. 
Discovery of Epilobium anagallidifolium, Lam., in Cumberland. 
On the 28th of June I visited Crossfell, Cumberland, and about 4°°J^ 
below the summit, on the north-west of the mountain, I found several p ai • 
of Epilobium anagallidifolium (specimens of which I enclose), growing 
sheltered locality, where, as in several other places, the water issues from _ 
rock in a copious stream. This plant has not yet been observed as a na i 
England, but from the altitude at which it grew, I could not doubt *JfP^ 
bility of a plant of the Scottish mountains being also found truly mUige ^ 
on Crossfell. The mountain attains an elevation of 2928 feet, and ^ 
highest point of the Pennine range. Nearly the whole of the hill is ^ ^ 
limestone, and it rests (as may be seen on ascending the hill from A e 
on clay-slate ; in fact, it is a continuation of the West Cumberland rang • 
or, near Whitehav 
July Hth, 1867. 
Yours truly, 
Fred. Addison 
