1897 | CURRENT LITERATURE 389 
the stigma at the time of pollination. In S. megalosfora each conidium pro- 
duces a germ tube which grows independently down through the style to 
develop the mycelium in the ovary, while in S. Aeteroica the germ tubes of a 
number of conidia fuse to form a single much stronger hypha, which then 
penetrates downward through the style. This anastomosing of germ tubes 
has also been observed by the authors in S. fad? and S. aucupariae,and fur- 
nishes a further interesting example of a fusion of protoplasmic masses which 
cannot be regarded as having a sexual significance inthe ordinary sense. The 
life history of S. heteroica is as follows: The capsules of Ledum are infected 
through the stigma. The mycelium forms in the ovary asclerotium which 
germinates and forms a single stalked ascus fruit in the following May. The 
ascospores are carried by the wind to the unfolding leaves of Vaccinium 
uliginosum, in which they develop a mycelium which produces the pustules 
; of conidiospores a few weeks later. 
Heteroecism has so far been observed only in the Uredinez, and its dis- 
covery among the ascomycetes is of great interest, as suggesting that various 
Jungi imperfecti may be connected with ascocarpous forms in this way.— 
= Be 
_ THE PRELIMINARY NOTICES concerning the structure and cytology of the 
Mucorinee by MM. Léger and Dangéard, which have appeared in Comptes 
Rendus and in Le Botaniste during the past few years, have been followed by 
the extended paper of the former author,” in which he describes at considera- 
ble length the phenomena observed, and illustrates the same by twenty-one 
Photo-process plates. The cytology, development of the sporangia, conidia, 
7ygospores, etc., were studied inthe following genera: Sporodinia, one species; 
Rhizopus, one species; Mucor, four species; Chaetocladium, two species ; 
‘hamnidium, one species; Pilobolus, two species; Pilaria, one species; 
Mortierella, two species ; Syncephalis, one species ; Pitocephalis, one species ; 
: the series of forms inves- 
Mitotic divisions only occurring in the spores at the period of germination. 
The conidia result from the more or less simultaneous separation of the con- 
: tents of the sporangia into polygonal masses, separated from one another by 
_ 2 layer of intersporal non-granular protoplasm which ultimately forms the 
_ Matrix in which the mature spores are imbedded. Each polygonal mass 
____ * LEGER, Maurice, Recherches sur la structure des Mucorinées. Pp. 1-150. 21 
‘Plates, Poitiers, E. Druinaud. 1896. ao fe ey 
