BihUograpMcal Notices. 295 



From the above data two important laws may be deduced : — 

 1, there are mucedinous spores which have the nature of primary 

 mucorinean spores ; 2, some mucedinous spores and forms which 

 are identical anatomically and morphologically, have an entirely 

 different physiological nature, since they produce primary mucori- 

 nean forms which are quite distinct. If the Avhite tufts of mycelium 

 which grow upon excrement, and which, if left alone, would form 

 the yellow masses of Botri/tis, are transferred into hollows scooped 

 out of an orange, such tufts become transformed into a PenicUKum- 

 mycelium, upon which the fruit of P. glaucum may be observed. 

 The PemciUium-s]iores from the transplanted tufts, or from the trans- 

 formed mucorinean mycelium, prodiiee the yellow masses oi Boirytis 

 when sown on cats' dung. They produce a PemcUrmm-mycelixmi, 

 but the ramifications of the latter enlarge, and assume the form of 

 white tufts identical with those which proceed from a sporangial 

 spore or a Bofri/tis-s])oie. They become covered with Botrytis, the 

 spores of which, sown on fruit, reproduce immediately the primary 

 mucorean form. It is clear, therefore, that the appearance of the 

 different mucedinous forms of 2Iucor romanus is caused by soil. 

 The Botrytis IS a rich form, re(}uiring more nitrogenized matter than 

 Penicillhim, which is a lower form, growing in any place where life 

 can be maintained. 



IV. Torula-fonn. — Many of the filaments of the septate mycelium 

 of Mucor romanus, when growing on animal dejections, break into 

 cylindrical cellules of various sizes, rounded at each end. These are 

 sometimes the cellules of the mycelium ; but more commonly they 

 are little spore-cellules growing at the summit of the filaments, 

 seven or eight in a row. The filaments usually run horizontally, 

 and the formation of them resembles that of the mj'celial macro- 

 conidia of the Mucors or of the spores of a Torula. These cellules 

 in germination reproduce a Pfmci7//um-mycelium, which either re- 

 produces the same cellules, or which grows normally and yields the 

 fruit of P. glatccum. This Torula-foxm. never appears on a true 

 mucorinean mycelium ; it must be transformed into a mucedinous 

 mycelium. This is so in many other Mucors, especially M. vulgaris 

 and caninus and in Bhizopvs. This ToruJa-iorva is probably caused 

 by vibrionic fermentation ; at least vibrios seem always present with 

 this form. 



V. Ascomycetous form. — Multicellular, spherical, or slightly elon- 

 gated yellow bodies appear on the mucedinous mycelium of Mucor 

 romanus. They are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. 

 They are always found upon that part of the large mycelium of the 

 primary or Botrytis-s^ores which radiates from the white tufts and 

 extends horizontally over the soil. They are only found on very 

 nitrogenized matter or on dejections. The author has not been able 

 to make them germinate. They certainly belong to Mucor romanus, 

 because macroconidia occur on the same filaments, and these macro- 

 conidia reproduce the primary mucorean form. The author thinks 

 these bodies may be the rudiments of some Ascomycetous or Hy- 

 menomycetous fungus. In upwards of fifty Ascomycefes which the 



