ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICKOSCOPY, ETC. 595 



partially or entirely disappeared in certain classes of fungi may be 

 explained on the hypothesis that the very strong development of their 

 jiarasitic character enables them to supply themselves abundantly 

 with food-material at the expense of the host, without any very great 

 consumption of vital energy, and thus renders unnecessary the re- 

 invigoration of the protoplasm, which is the main object of sexual 

 reproduction. 



Life-history of ^cidium bellidis DC* — C. B. Plowright has 

 experimented on the ^cidium of the common daisy, and considers 

 that it is not a mere variety of ^cidium compositarum Mart., but a 

 true heteroecismal Uredine, di£fering from its allies in the time that 

 it appears. 



Structure and AflBnity of Sphseria pocula Schweinitz.t — Dr. M. 

 C. Cooke describes the structure of this species, and shows that it 

 must be relegated to the genus Polyporus, to which indeed it was 

 formerly referred by Berkeley and Curtis, though the fact appears 

 subsequently to have been forgotten. 



Sph8eroplea.| — Under the designation var. crassisepta E. Hein- 

 richer describes a var. of Spliceroplea annulina with thicker septa than 

 the ordinary form. Hematoxylin revealed the presence of a number of 

 nuclei in the cells, sometimes as many as 60, viz. from 1-4 in connection 

 with each ring of protoplasm. In the female cells a portion of the 

 protoplasm collects round each nucleus to form an oosphere, the 

 number of which therefore corresponds to the number of nuclei. The 

 formation of antherozoids is accompanied by a great and rapid 

 multiplication of nuclei, one nucleus being finally contained in each 

 antherozoid. The oospores germinated in the dark, producing swarm- 

 spores, from which new individuals sprung, but this latter germination 

 was dependent on the presence of light. 



New Parasite on the Silver-fir.§ — Under the name Trichosphceria 

 parasitica, E. Hartig describes a parasitic fungus wbich has been for 

 some years very destructive to the pine-forests in the Neuburger 

 forest. The colourless mycelium attacks the young branches and the 

 leaves, covering the lower side with a weft of threads, and forming 

 blueish white cushions on both sides of the leaves, on which the 

 perithecia appear in autumn. The black globular perithecia are 

 covered in the upper part with numerous long hairs, and have a 

 diameter of 0- 1-0 -25 mm., or of 7 mm. including the hairs. The 

 asci are about 8'0 /x in length, and completely disappear after the 

 ripening of the spores. The spores are smoke-coloured, usually 

 4-locular, straiglit, or somewhat curved, and from 15-20 /x long. Tho 

 formation of the asci is preceded by that of very small rod-shaped 

 celLs, possibly spcrmatia. 



♦ Journ. Linn. Soc. Lond.— Dot., xx. (1884) j)}). 511-2. 



t Ibid., pp. 508-11 (I pi.). 



I Her. iJ.'iit.sch. Bot. Gescll., i. (1883) pp. 433-50 (1 pi.). Of. tiiia Journal, 

 iii. (188:!) p. 888. 



§ SB. Bot. Verciii Miiuchcii, No. 1:5, 1883. ISco iJot. Cuutialbl., xviii. (1881) 

 p. <J2. 



