782 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



be seen frequently in the centre of the altered region. The infecting 

 spore is coniiioscd of a thread of cells, and is able to emit simultaneously 

 several germinating tubes. The mycelium is composed of cylindrical 

 filaments. The fungus hardly seems to comport itself like an ordinary 

 parasite, but rather like certain Sclerotiiiia described by Prof, de Bary. 

 The history of this fungus is not complete, as the perithecia have not 

 been discovered ; the conidiferous condition is, however, already known 

 as Cori/ncnm BcijerincJcii ; this is admitted to be a stage in the evolution 

 of a S2>hseria. 



Haplococcus reticulatus.* — Prof. W. Zopf had described under tho 

 above name a presumed parasite of the flesh of swine. This he notes, 

 however, was a mistake due to accidental contact with Lycopodium spores. 

 He justly expects that his " youthful error may be gently overlooked." 



New Puccinia.f — Herr G. Lagerheim describes a new species of 

 Puccinia, which he calls P. gibherosa, found on leaves of Festuca sylvatica. 

 It is distinguished by its large uredospores provided with a great number 

 of germinal pores, by the paraphyses among the uredosi)()res, and by the 

 apex of the teleutospores being furnished with a few short warts instead 

 of a larger ni;mbcr of horn-like protuberances. 



Sexual Organs in .fficidium.| — Mr. G. Massee has noticed, on leaves 

 of Bannnculus Ficaria, a spherical welt of interlaced hyphte, the tip of 

 one thread situated in the centre of the mass ending in a clavate head 

 rich in coarsely granular protoj^lasm. Being desirous of ascertaining 

 whether the clavate body mentioned was in any way connected with the 

 ^cidium, numerous young unopened peridia were cut, but without 

 result ; it was only when sections were made through those portions of 

 the leat first showing traces of the fungus in tho form of a slight dis- 

 colouration, or the appeai'ance of spermogonia, that the clavate body in a 

 ball of mycelium, which represented the initial stage of an ^cidium, was 

 discovered. In this instance the object of search was in a more advanced 

 stage, clearly showing it to be an oogonium, accompanied by an antheri- 

 dium. The oogonium was much larger than the one first seen, in form 

 irregularly oblong, measiu-ing about 50 by 25 jx, terminal on a thread, 

 from which it was cut off by a transverse septum, and containing finely 

 granular protoplasm with numerous refractive globules. The author 

 could see no trace of a nucleus. 



The antheridium is cylindrical, about 40 by 12 /x, and, like the 

 oogonium, filled with protojdasm and oil-globules, and terminated by a 

 short lateral branch springing from a thread distinct from the one sup- 

 porting the oogonium, as far as the two could be traced in the mass of 

 mycelium. The antheridium is cut off from its sujjporting hypha by a 

 transverse septum. The point of contact between the antheridium and 

 oogonium was on the side turned away from the eye, so that the author 

 is unable to state the exact manner in which fertilization is effected. 



Symbiotic Fungus in Molgulidse. § — M. A. Giard has observed in 

 the kidneys of Molgulidse various species of a new genus of Fungi {Nephro- 

 mijces) living in apparent symbiosis. The genus seems most akin to 



* Biol. Cetitralbl., viii. (1888) pp. 144-5. 



t Ber. Deutscb. Bot. Gesell., vi. (1888) pp. 124-6 (2 figs.). 



X Ann. of Bot., ii. (1888) pp. 47-51 (1 pi.). 



§ Comptes Ecndus, cvi. (1888) pp. 1180-2. 



