432 SUMMARY OF CUKRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



of fungi belonging to the most distinct groups whicli are capable of 

 developing saccharomyces-like cells, by budding in nutrient solutions ; 

 but differing from tbat genus in not forming endogenous spores. Some 

 of these fungi induce alcoholic fermentation, behaving in this respect 

 like SaccJiaromyces cerevisice. 



The author has made a careful examination of one of these un- 

 known species. It propagates itself in beer-wort by budding, causing 

 the higher fermentation, and showing in this respect a close relation- 

 ship to SaccJiaromyces ellipsoideus. But under conditions where 

 S. cerevisice would produce 6 vol. per cent, of alcohol, it produces 

 scarcely 1 • 5 per cent. It also exhibits a great difference in its fer- 

 mentive action, the chemical soluble ferment or invertin being entirely 

 wanting, although it ferments saccharose as such. This establishes the 

 fact frequently controverted, that saccharose can be directly fermented 

 without previous immersion. 



The fungus readily produces a perfect mycelium. Although its 

 cells, when cultivated in beer-wort, altogether resemble typical 

 S. ellipsoideus or cerevisice, they do not produce endogenous spores. 



Action of Cold on Microbes.* — R. Pictet and E. Yung find that 

 various organisms, such as bacilli, when subjected to a temperature of 

 70° C. for 108 hours, and to 130° for 20 hours, are not destroyed ; 

 others, such as Torula and the vaccine microbe, lost their power of 

 producing fermentation. 



Algae. 



Fertilization of Cutleria.t — E. de Janczewski has paid special 

 attention to the development and mode of fertilization of Cutleria 

 adspersa, growing at Antibes. 



This species is strictly dioecious; but the male and female 

 plants are often so intimately united at their base that it is prac- 

 tically impossible to separate them. They can only be distinguished 

 by the different colours of their sori, orange in the male, very dark 

 brown in the female plants. Each mature sporangium consists usually 

 of 16 or sometimes of 32 cells, from each of which escapes a motile 

 oosphere. This usually takes place early in the morning. The 

 normal number of antherozoids produced in an antheridium is 128. 

 The emission of antherozoids occurs at the same time as that of 

 the oospheres; their period of motility does not exceed 12 hours at 

 the outside. Their form and structure are precisely that of the 

 Fucacese. Each of them has two vibratile cilia, and a bright orange 

 granule. The motile oospheres bear a close resemblance to the 

 zoospores of the Phgeosporege, except that they are considerably 

 larger. The whole of the oosphere is of a brown colour, except the 

 anterior portion which constitutes a colourless beak. This beak 

 bears at one side a slight swelling, to which are attached two vibra- 

 tile cilia. The colourless protoplasm of the oosphere contains a 

 number of brown chromoplastids, and of much smaller, colourless, 



* Comptes Eendus, xcviii. (1884) pp. 747-9. 



t Ann. Sci. Nat. (Bot.), xvi. (1883) pp. 210-26 (2 pis.). 



