ZOOLOGY AND EOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 471 



(6) Many fungi cause decay of ripo fruit, both while attached to the 

 plant and after removal while still alive. (7) Some valuable plants are 

 liable to injury from others of less value by ordinary iufection or 

 heteroecism. 



Certain groups of phanerogams are liable to be attacked by certain 

 groups of fungi. 



New Disease of the Douglas-pine.* — Dr. C. v. Tubeuf describes a 

 disease which is very destructive to Pseudotsuga Douglasii, produced by the 

 attacks of the mycelium of an (unidentified) parasitic fungus. It causes 

 the branches to curve and the leaves to fall; the mycelium puts out 

 processes which appear as black spots on the leaves. Late in the year 

 sclerotia are formed which gradually burst the epidermis. From both 

 the sclerotia and the mycelium there arise conidiophores resembling 

 those of Botrytis. The conidia germinate in water and nutrient solutions, 

 putting out from one to three germinating tubes which develope into 

 septate mycelial filaments which subsequently become green. 



New Potato - disease. f — Herr J. Brunchorst describes a potato- 

 disease known under the name of " scurf," caused by the attacks of an 

 undescribed species of Myxomycetes, to which he gives the name 

 Spongospora Solani. 



New Vine-disease. — Dr. F. v. Thiimen | describes a new disease of 

 the vine in south Tyrol which destroys the immature berries, and which 

 he states is caused by a hitherto undescribed parasitic fungus, Acladium 

 interaneum. 



Herr E. Eathay asserts § that the fungus described under this 

 name is identical with Peronospora viticcla, and that the bodies which 

 v. Thiimen calls its conidiospores are in reality the haustoria of the 

 Peronospora. 



New Parasite of the Silk-worm. || — Prof. E. Moniez publishes a 

 brief notice of a new parasite which he found in great abundance in the 

 visceral cavity of diseased silkworms. The liquid of the cavity was 

 milky, and this was due to the extraordinary abundance of small (3 p. in 

 diam.) spherical homogeneous elements, in which no trace of nucleus 

 could be seen. Other bodies both larger and smaller were observed. 

 There were hints that reproduction took place by regular segmentation ; 

 but no fission nor budding was to be seen. It seemed probable that the 

 multiplication of the fungus took place within the tissues and not in the 

 visceral cavity. 



There was no possibility of confusing this parasite with that of 

 pebrine, and still less with that of muscardine. It differs from the 

 former in size, form, constant absence of the clear spot, and of fission. 

 The elements observed were in size and form like the spores of the 

 muscardine fungus, but form asci, and do not exhibit cylindrical conidia 

 or filamentous mycelia. The symptoms of the disoasc are furthermore 

 different from those either of pebrine or muscardine. 



* Bot. Ver. Mimchen, March 21, 1S87. See Bot. Centralbl., xxxiii. (1888) p. 347 



t Be^gens Museums Aarsberet., 1887, pp. 219-4G (2 pis.). 



% Weinlaube, 188G, pp. 447-8. See Bot. Centralbl., xxxiii. (1888) p. 16 



§ Id., 1887, 37 pp., 2 pis., and 10 figs. See id., p. 17. 



|| Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xii. (1888) pp. 535-6. 



