538 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



III. At the apex of the promycelium is formed a whorl of from 

 two to eight usually fusiform branches, also termed sporidia, which 

 usually conjugate in pairs, developing finally into secondary sporidia 

 or directly into long, slender, simple or branched germinating fila- 

 ments : — Tilletia, Entyloma, Melanotcenium, Scliroeteria, Urocystis, 

 Tuburcinia. 



The following species, nearly allied to Tuburcinia, are also 

 specially described: — Thecapliora aterrima Tul., Sorosporium schizo- 

 caulon Ces., S. Mullerianum Thiim., Urocystis Paridis Thum. (Soro- 

 sporium Paridis Wint., Polycystis opaca Strauss, Urocystis Colchici f. 

 Paridis F. v. Waldh.), Tuburcinia Veronica? Schrbt., T. Cesati Sor., 

 T. scabies Berk. 



Unobserved Sensitiveness in Phycomyces.* — F. Elfving has ob- 

 served that if a moist disk of gypsum is brought near to growing 

 Phycomyces, the sporangiophores will lose their upright growth and 

 bend in various directions ; and this will take place even if the 

 atmosphere is saturated with aqueous vapour. The author suggests 

 that the phenomenon is due to contact electricity. 



Beltrania, a New Genus of Hyphomycetes.f — Under the name 

 Beltrania rhombica 0. Penzig describes a hyphomycetous fungus con- 

 stituting a new generic type, found on the under side of fallen lemon 

 leaves in Sicily, on which it forms an olive-coloured velvety coating. 

 It presents most affinity to Fusicladium and Scolecotrichum, but differs 

 from them in having sterile filaments in addition to the sterigmata, 

 and the bicellular beaked spores collected in clusters on short basidia. 

 The following is the technical description of the genus : — 



C^espitulis hypophyllis, stratum fusco-olivaceum constituentibus ; 

 hyphis erectis vel adscendentibus, dense aggregatis, continuis vel 

 1-2-septatis, subsimplicibus, sinuosis; setulis sterilibus longioribus 

 inter hyphas fertiles intermixtis ; conidiis vel in hypharum apice 

 sessilibus vel sterigmate ex apice oriundo suffultis, solitariis vel 

 fasciculatis, 1-septatis, apice rostratis. 



Chemical Composition of Moulds.J — N. Sieber has prepared a 

 growth of pure Aspergillus, Mucor, and Penicillium, the absence of 

 Schizomycetes being assured by the presence of free phosphoric acid 

 in the nutrient fluid. An analysis of the alcohol and ether extract, of 

 which the exact composition is given, showed that it consisted entirely 

 of albumen and cellulose. Further experiments show that the form 

 of albuminoid present was not that of mycoprotein. A very small 

 quantity of an undetermined substance crystallized out of the 

 extract. 



Salmon Diseased — Professor T. H. Huxley, in his observations 

 on this disease, not only examined the minute structure of both the 

 healthy and diseased skin, but also tried some experiments on the 



* Bot. Notiser, 1881. See Bot. Centralbl , x. (1882) p. 76. 

 + Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., xiv. (1882) pp. 72-5 (1 pi.). 

 J Journ. f. prakt. Chem., xxiii. (1881) pp. 412-21. 

 § Proc. Roy. Soc, xxxiii. (1882) pp. 381-9. 



