266 SUMMARY OP CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Sorosporella Agrotidis g. et sp. n.* — Prof. N. Sorokin obtained 

 this microbe from tbe caterpillar of Agrotidis segetum, an insect wbich 

 is extremely harmful to corn. The intention of the author was, haYing 

 found the organism which kills the caterpillar, to obtain the microbe in 

 sufficient quantity, and sow the corn land with it. Within the 

 mummified body of the caterpillar was a powder consisting of large 

 round granules. Under the Microscope these were found to be spores 

 which were rose-coloured when seen in aggregations. In size they are 

 from 4-7 fi ; they are inyested by a smooth membrane, and their contents 

 are colourless. Under a magnification of about 1400, the cell-contents 

 are seen to be not homogeneous, but filled with oil-drops and vacuoles. 



Fermentation of Palm-wine.j — Sig. G. Gasperini finds the cause of 

 fermentation in " leghbi," the alcoholic drink obtained from the juice of 

 the date-palm, to be Saccharomyces cerevisise, accompanied by large 

 quantities of Bacillus subtilis. 



New Melampsora.J — Under tbe name Melampsora congregata, Hcrr 

 P. Dietel describes a new species parasitic on the leaves of Euphorbia dulcis. 

 Both uredospores and teleutospores were observed; the latter are 

 characterized by their dense aggregation, sometimes completely covering 

 the under side of the leaf. 



New Urocystis.§ — Herr G. Lagerheim describes a new species of 

 TJrocysiis, TJ. Junci, parasitic on Juncus filiformis and bufonius. It 

 attacks the leaves, causing but little deformity. 



Fungi of Mines. II — Dr. 0. 0. Harz enumerates 11 species of fungi 

 found in the mines of Germany, belonging to the Thelephorei, Hydnei, 

 and Polyporei. Among them two new species are described : — Badulnm 

 subterraneum and Polyporus Engelii. 



Protophyta. 

 a. Schizopliyceae. 



Antiquity of Diatoms.lF — Abbe F. Castracane gi-ves reasons for 

 believing that diatoms belonging to species now existing lived in the 

 Carboniferous period, and discusses the bearing of this fact on the theory 

 of evolution. From the fact that he finds in beds belonging to the older 

 Carboniferous strata diatom-valves identical in the minutest particular 

 with the existing Epiihemia gibba and E. granulata, and that similar facts 

 are recorded also with regard to Foraminifera, he concludes that the 

 same laws of the immutability of generic and specific characters prevailed, 

 and always have prevailed, equally in the lowest and in the highest 

 families of both the vegetable and the animal kingdom. 



* Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., iv. (1888) pp. 644-7 (13 figs.). 



t Inuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., xx. (1888) pp. 445-51. 



X Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., vi- (1888) pp. 400-2 (2 figs.). 



§ Bot. Notis., 1888, p. 201. See Morot's Journ. de Bot., ii. (1888) Eev. Bibl., 

 p. 147. 



II SB. Bot. Vereins Miinchen, 1st Dec. 1887. See Bot. Centralbl., xxxvi. (1888) 

 pp. B75, SS.*), 



1 ' Le Diatomee e il Transformismo Darwiniano,' 20 pp., Koma, 1888. 



