I 



1907] CURRENT LITERATURE 23^ 



pushed part way through the earth. The second form differs from the first in the 

 possession of an annulus and also in its habit. Several plants of this may arise 

 from the one comb, while at the same time many immature specimens capable of 

 further growth may be present in the comb.. The author regards the presence 

 or absence of the annulus as an accidental character due to the conditions of 

 growth; and, since the forms are identical in every other respect, he considers 

 them to belong to a single species which he calls Volvaria eurhiza, reducing the 

 other names to synonjTns. Whatever may be said of the identity of the two forms, 

 this disposition is entirely erroneous, for Volvaria has a free valve at the base of 

 the stem, but possesses no annulus. These forms, judging from the descriptions 

 and figures, have no free valve; • but one has an annulus while the other has not. 

 They will probably find a place in Pluteus or Annularia. 



Beside the fungi described, a third form seems to be quite universally present 

 in the fresh termite comb, although this form, which is determined as Xylaria 



^ nigripeSy does not appear in the nests. If, however, the combs are removed and 



kept under bell-jars, the Xylarias always appear, forming first a conidial stroma, 

 which is followed by the development of perithecia. The author l^elieves that 

 the Xylarias do not appear in the nests merely because they are eaten off by the 

 termites as soon as they appear. Other forms of fungi growing on the combs when 

 placed in a moist chamber are probably accidental saprophytes. 



^ All of the forms described are eaten by the termites. When an inhabited 



comb is inclosed under a bell-jar the termites eat off the heads of the hyphomyccte 

 and also the Xylaria as it develops. They also eat the stalks of the agarics, follow- 

 ing them to the surface of the ground. It is probable, therefore, that the fungi 

 of the termite nests form food for the inhabitants, as do the "fungus gardens*' 

 for the leaf-cutting ants. It is difficult to prove this definitely by experiment, 

 for in the absence of other foods the termites will eat many substances which do' 

 not ordinarily form part of their ration. — H. Hasselbring. 



t Sperms of Cycas.^ — Shibata and Miyake? have been experimenting with 



1 1 sperms of Cycas. Material was sent from southern Japan to Tokyo late in Septem- 



.j l:>er and early in October, at which time the pollen tubes are discharging their 



sperms. Experiments with various solutions showed that the sperms either lack 

 chemotactic irritability, or chemotaxis can take place only under some unknown 



) 







i 



V 



li 



i external conditions. If chemotactic irritability has been lost, fertilization must 



, be accomplished by mechanical means. It is interesting to note that the con- 



tents of the archegonium, while they seem to exert no influence upon Cycas 

 I sperms, nevertheless attract those of some pteridophytes. — Charles J. 



^ Chamberlain. 



« CoRRENS® has tested the influence of external factors on the sex-condition 



7 Shibata, K., and Miyake, K., Some observ-ations on the phj^iolog}' of Cycas 

 spermatozoids- Botanical Magazine 21:45-48. 1907. ' 



8 CORRENS, C, Zur Kenntnis der Geschlechtsfonnen polygamer Bliitcnpflanzen 

 und ihrer Beeinflussbarkeit. Jahrb. Wiss. Bot. 44:124-173. figs. 4. 1907. 



