State Museum of Natural History. 81 



that the fungus would have killed it iu a short time. It would be 

 interesting to know if the fungus could be communicated to healthy 

 mice in their food or otherwise, but my efforts to obtain a subject on 

 which to try the experiment were unsuccessful. 



Zygodesmus violaceofuscus, Sacc. 

 Roots of beech. Selkirk. August. 



(R) 



REMARKS AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Nymplisea odorata, Ait. 



A form with very large leaves and flowers, equaling in size those of 



N. tuberosa, grows in the inlet of Beaver lake. Number Four, Lewis 



county. It has the decided and delightful fragrance of the ordinary 



form. 



Rubus villosus, Ait. var. humifusus, T. d- G. 



Professor Dudley finds this variety near Ithaca. The variety /toh- 

 dosus is much more plentiful, and from it most of the cultivated varie- 

 ties appear to have been derived, if we may judge by the character of 

 the fruit offered for sale in the markets. It is less cylindrical, more 

 acid and has larger seeds than the fruit of the typical form. I am 

 quite confident that the true B. viUosus would produce a fruit of far 

 better quality, if brought under successful cultivation, and it seems 

 strange that some of our enterprising nurserymen have not succeeded 

 in introducing it into more frequent cultivation. 



Vaccinium Canadense, Kalm. 



A black-fruited variety of this valuable little shrub is plentiful at 

 ' Number Four, Adirondack wilderness. There is also a black-fniiteJ 

 variety of V. vaccillans. 



These varieties do not appear to have been designated by name, 

 but they correspond to variety nigrum of V. Fenn.^ylvanicum and 

 \ariety atrococcinn of V. corymbosum. Thus each of our common 

 edible blueberries has its black-fruited variety. These black fruits? 

 are destitute of the bloom of the ordinary ones, and have a shining 

 luster, but are (scarcely different iu flavor or quality from the ordinary 

 1 ilue ones. The black huckleberry, Gaijlussacia resiiwsa, also has it*» cor- 

 r. spending variety, in which the fruit is jet black and shining. It also 

 ^()^netimes differs slightly in shape from the ordinary dull black 



fruit. 



11 



