Dublin Microscopical Club. 233 
leaves was due to some form of Capnodium or Fumago, but failed to 
prove their case. 
Torula pinophila—Dr. M‘Nab exhibited specimens of Torula 
pinophila, Chev. (Antennaria pinophila; Nees ab Ks.), obtained 
abundantly on healthy spruce-firs growing in Glasnevin Botanic 
Garden. The fungus seems to live on the bud-scales, and only ex- 
tends to the stems and leaves under exceptional circumstances. It 
was met with both in the conidial (Torula) stage and in the Conio- 
thecium condition. The fungus was identical in all its characters 
with that observed at Glencorse, near Edinburgh. 
Chlorochytriwm Cohnit.—Dr. E. Perceval Wright showed living 
specimens of this green unicellular Alga, exhibiting the various 
stages of the division of the protoplasmic cell-contents, fuller details 
of which he hoped to publish shortly. 
Conjugated State of a Compressed or Two-angled Form of Stau- 
rastrum sterosporum, Lundell.—Mr. Archer showed the zygospore 
of Staurastrum pterosporwm, Lundell, especially remarkable inas- 
much as nearly all the examples which occurred in the gathering 
were compressed (that is, two-angled), not three-angled, in the end- 
view ; that is to say, they conformed to the character ascribed to 
the genus Arthrodesmus. And, indeed, in the eyes of some observers, 
these would doubtless be regarded as Arthrodesmus incus, ** forma ;” 
but how erroneously, the present conjugated examples demon- 
strated. There could be little doubt but several really distinct 
species are confused together under the designation Arthrodesmus 
imcus ; but perhaps only a couple have shown their zygospores, and 
no doubt these agree in the main, being simply orbicular and beset 
by not very numerous, but comparatively long, subulate, acute 
spines. However lke the present parent form might be to A. zncus, 
yet Mr. Archer must say he would have hesitated to so designate 
them, and so by some might possibly be regarded as running away 
with a pet idea. But let us, looking down the microscope, discuss 
the matter as we like, and come to varied conclusions, the little 
desmid knows better, and, our disputations notwithstanding, just 
runs its own specific course. Forget to develop a third angle during 
vegetative growth it may ; but forget that it is all the time in reality 
not A. incus, or any form of it at all, when it comes to produce its 
zygospore, it would seem it cannot; it accordingly fashions its 
zygospore into a compressed cushion-like figure, oblong, the angles 
somewhat dilated into a wing-like appendage, this remaining still 
within the parent half-cells, and retaining them at the angles; for 
in truth it is just Staurastrum pterosporum all the time, a species 
very aptly named by Lundell. The first to exhibit the triangular 
(Lundell’s) form conjugated in this country was our member 
Mr. Crowe, the examples, so far as Mr. Archer remembered, being 
from the Rocky Valley, near Bray. Just as there is, then, an 
Arthrodesmus-like (that is, a compressed) form of St. pterosporum, so 
Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol. vii. 16 
