78 Miscellaneous. 



under the microscoiDe. After exposure to the air for two days, a 

 crop of fungi appeared on the cut surface ; but, strange to say, the 

 central portion, consisting of the two internal strata, was covered 

 with a species of Oidium of a grayish tint, while the external ring, 

 which had now lost all rigidity, was occupied with a white circle of 

 Penicillium glaucum passing on the inner edge into the greenish 

 tinge of adult tufts of that fungus. We do not recollect to have 

 seen anything of the kind before, and we record it with the greater 

 pleasure, as it shows how much ground there is for observation, 

 even in objects which we tread every day under foot. 



The Oidium is a most beautiful object under the microscope. It 

 is a form of Oidium fructigenum, differing merely in its rather grayer 

 tinge and diffuse mode of growth, owing probably to its having liberty 

 of free development, instead of being forced to break out through the 

 cuticle, in which it forms little tufts which are often arranged con- 

 centrically. In intimate structure it precisely resembles the type 

 which ifc admirably figured by Corda in his * Icones Fungorum.' — 

 Gardeners' Chronicle, 



PRESIDENCY OF THE LINN^AN SOCIETY. 



The anonymous writer of the paragraph in the 'Athenaeum/ in 

 which it was asserted that there was " a strong feeling among the 

 Fellows " of the Linnsean Society " in favour of biennial election to 

 the Presidency," is, of course, very angry at the notice on the sub- 

 ject in the last Number of the * Annals.' 



In a paragraph (Athenaeum, Dec. 8) the writer attempts to elude 

 the charge of having made a false statement. The expression, " a 

 strong feeling among the Fellows," must evidently have been in- 

 tended to convey that such feeling prevailed among the majority, 

 or at least some considerable number of the Fellows : and this, we 

 again assert, is wholly without foundation. " We stated," says the 

 writer, " what we knew to be the fact, that many of the Fellows in- 

 clined towards a biennial election." Who, then, is this wonderful 

 "WE, that pretends to know so much of the feelings and opinions of 

 the Fellows of the Linnsean Society ? And what does he call many ? 

 ten, five, or two ? Or perhaps he considers his we a host in itself. 

 If however he would append his initials, which (to use his own 

 phrase) "have not yet transpired," and which probably might be 

 deciphered as easily as our R. T., the public might be enabled to 

 judge of the value of his statements. The right of the author of the 

 paragraph to entertain any opinion he pleases was never questioned 

 (although he falsely charges us with assuming '* that no opinion dif- 

 fering from our own can be held ") ; nor did we enter at all upon the 

 question as to a biennial election ; what we protested against was, that 

 he should obtrude his private fancies upon the public, pretending that 

 they were the strong feeling of a large body of Fellows. We also 

 object that recourse should have been had to the hackneyed news- 

 paper expedient for setting an unfounded rumour afloat by such an 

 insinuation as the following: — "It has not yet transpired whether 

 the invitation has or has not been received conditionally by Mr. 



