MONILIA, SACHSIA AND CHALARA. 449 



aerobic cultures. One remarkable feature is the abundant 

 formation of esters, which are also produced when protein consti- 

 tutes the sole foodstuff. Went found this species growing on the 

 spathes of sugar-canes in Java ; and Saccardo observed ifc in 

 wheaten flour and on dough at Lyons. Morphologically, it 

 differs considerably from the other fermentation Monilia, and 

 resembles the parasitic species (Sclerotinia fructigena and Scl. 

 cinerea) in the structure of the mycelium and the restriction of 

 conidia to the aerial hyphse. According to Went, the enzymatic 

 effects are the most important consideration in the technical 

 utilisation of this fungus ; the filaments bore through the cell wall 

 of the ground-nut seeds, and loosen the cells so that they fall 

 apart under gentle pressure, the proteids in the seeds are pep- 

 tonised, the oil is decomposed, the small quantity of starch present 

 is saccharified, and, finally, some slight importance must be 

 attached to the esterification that is set up. 



Monilia albicans (Robin), ZOPF (X.), the pathogenic "thrush " 

 fungus, which has also been described under the synonyms 

 Oidium, albicans, Robin, and Saccharomyces albicans, Reess, coincides 

 exactly, morphologically, with Monilia Candida. Possibly, the 

 gemma-like formations observed by Grawitz might serve as a 

 distinctive characteristic, as also the very moderate fermentative 

 power, traces of alcohol being formed only after a very long 

 time. This fungus is the cause of " thrush " on the mucous 

 membrane of the mouth and throat in very young infants, puppies 

 and kittens, as well as the corresponding disease in fowls ; though 

 it is probably associated with other organisms in these diseases. 

 In Nature the fungus is of frequent occurrence on dead, rotting 

 plants, and especially on dung, &c. 



Both the fermenting and pathogenic species of Monilia are 

 widely distributed, so that the technico-mycological literature 

 contains numerous reports of forms resembling the species de- 

 scribed above. Owing to their great morphological similarity, 

 differentiation is often difficult; and owing to the omission of 

 important morphological and physiological properties from the 

 descriptions, it is seldom that the fungi described can be clearly 

 identified with previously known species. On the other hand, 

 many of the Monilia have probably been described by different 

 authors as spherical yeasts, film yeasts, mould fungi, &c. The 

 majority of the forms referred to simply as Monilia were found 

 in wine, cheese, Chinese yeast, decaying fruit and concentrated 

 fatty substances for feeding cattle. 



Sachsia albicans, Bay, is the name given to a fungus accidentally 

 discovered by J. 0. BAY (IV.). On the surface of solid and liquid 

 nutrient media it develops a snow-white mycelium, from which 

 numerous cells, resembling those of Mycoderma, separate by con- 

 striction. When submerged, the mycelial buds bear a greater 

 resemblance to Dematium or Monilia, and the detached bud cells 



