86 Notes and Comments. 



Committee of the Yorkshire Naturahsts' Union to obtain 

 more accurate records of spore-coloration in terms of a standard 

 series of tints, such as that of the ' Code des Couleurs,' by 

 Khncksieck & Valette (Paris, 1908). We have already found — 

 and this may be a fact of some considerable physiological 

 interest — that, with one or two doubtful exceptions, all the 

 spore colours so far standardized, whether pjnk, rusty, or 

 purple, fall within the region of the less refrangible half of the 

 spectrum. Spectroscopic examination also shows this. It has 

 been suggested by Buller that these colouring-matters may 

 serve a useful purpose by screening off certain of the sun's 

 rays from the living protoplasm. If this is so, we ought to 

 find some support for the hypothesis in the more abundant 

 distribution of the coloured-spored species in the open and of 

 the white-spored forms in the shade. 



TABULATING HABITATS. 



On tabulating the records of habitats, it has been found 

 that we get approximately : — 



Black-spored forms : 24% occurring in the shade, 76% in the open. 

 Purple „ „ 30% „ ,, „ 70% 



White „ „ 90% „ „ „ 10% 



These figures suport the hypothesis. 

 The pink-spored forms gave : — 



34% in the shade, 66% in the open. 

 This is intermediate, as might have been expected, between 

 the dark-spored and the white-spored species. The brown or 

 rusty-spored forms, however, gave figures not quite so good 

 viz. :— 



52% in the shade and 48% in the open. 



These figures are only approximate, however, as they are 

 compiled from a list of habitats which is probably not very 

 accurately determined as regards light and shade. Spore- 

 coloration may, however, depend, partly at least, upon the 

 kind of substratum on which the Fungi grow. It is significant, 

 for example, that a large porportion of the black-spored forms 

 grow upon dung, whilst the white-spored forms are found 

 largely upon the ground, frequently in soil rich in humus, and 

 the rusty-spored forms largely upon rotten wood, old stumps, 

 etc. It would be instructive if careful records were made of 

 spore-coloration in relation to the substratum as well as to 

 light and shade. 



X-RAYS AND FORAMINIFERA. 



At a recent meeting of the Geological Society of London, 

 a Demonstration on the Application of X-Rays to the Deter- 

 mination of the Interior Structure of Microscopic Fossils, 

 particularly with reference to the Dimorphism of the Num- 

 mulites, was given by Mr. E. Heron-Allen, F.L.S., F.G.S., Pres. 



Naturalist, 



