180 Transactions of the Society. 



of the diatom when free. The mechanism has not yet been 

 pubKcly demonstrated, however, although some few microscopists 

 have had the good fortune, under very exceptional circumstances, 

 to see (or fancy they saw) external protoplasmic movements. The 

 communications on this subject to the different scientific journals 

 are, as is usual when the subject is in the non-verifiable stage, very 

 dogmatic and contradictory. Still the homogeneous-immersion lens 

 of high power should be the means of determining the cause or 

 causes of the movement. 



Our Journal has been made more valuable during this 

 year by the publication of the very careful and intelligent re- 

 searches of Messrs. Morris and Henderson on TrichojjJiyton ton- 

 surans. They describe the life-history of the fungus from the 

 sowing of the spore to the branching of the resulting filaments on 

 the sixth to eighth day. Moreover they describe the aerial hyphae 

 and fructification. Remarking on the difficulties of determining 

 the botanical position of the ringworm fungus, on account of the 

 frequent development of adventitious fungi, Messrs. Morris 

 and Henderson endeavoured to obtain a medium which should 

 possess perfect sterilization and should have sufficient consistence 

 to retain spores in a fixed position for continuous observation. 

 They came to the followiog conclusions, illustrating their paper by 

 photo-micrographs (employing a 1/5 in. object-glass of Beck and 

 an amplification of 1000) : — That the spores of Trichophyton 

 tonsurans grow freely on the surface and in the substance of 

 gelatine peptone at from 15° and 25° C. That the mycelium 

 only will grow in the substance of the jelly, and that the 

 hyphae require air to produce conidia. That the branching, 

 septa-formation, and fructification are identical with those of 

 Fenicillium. That the spores of the second generation reproduce 

 ringworm on the human skin. That outgrowths resembling resting 

 spores appear on some of the filaments. 



The red moiild of barley has been most carefully examined 

 and illustrated by Mr. G. Gr. Matthews, F.C.S., and published in 

 one of the parts of the Journal. The common coloured mould 

 seen at the germinal end of the corn was grown on a large scale by 

 breaking up germinating barley with a little water into paste. 

 Very fine silky tufts of the red mould were thus obtained from 

 1/2 to 3/4 in. in length and nearly 2 in. in diameter. Much of 

 the red colouring matter was diffused amongst the plasma and the 

 hyphae were tinged with it, where they sprang from the nutrient 

 surfaces, though their extremities were colourless. The hyphae 

 gradually became interlaced and flattened down as a mass and a 

 kind of sporulation began to be noticed, and pseudo-spores — very 

 minute bodies — came from the threads. They did not appear to 

 develope. Shortly after the flattening of the hyphae, a pink dust 



