ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 249 



Selenosporium aquseductum.* — B. Eyferth describes a peculiar 

 fungus whicli he found on mill-wheels in the neighbourhood of 

 Brunswick, especially in the late autumn and beginning of winter, 

 and which he identifies with Selenosporium aquceductum, discovered in 

 1862-3 in Munich by Radlkofer, but not observed since. 



The small cushions composed of this fungus are firmly attached 

 to their support, and unite into a layer some millimetres in height, 

 composed in the lower part of matted horizontal threads, from which 

 a number of nearly parallel branches rise. On short pedicel-like 

 branches of these are formed the conidia, which are normally fusiform 

 and somewhat sickle-shaped at the apex, are usually divided by several 

 septa, and readily fall off, often before they attain their normal form. 

 They can readily be mistaken for Torula, and especially for Mycoderma, 

 and are capable of germination even in this imperfect condition. The 

 fungus is present during the whole year, but thrives best in autumn 

 and winter. It is destroyed by severe frost. It exhales a character- 

 istic intense aromatic odour. 



The author was unable to detect that the presence of this fungus 

 is due to the sugar-factories on the stream. At a part of the stream 

 where there are none, but where the water contains a large quantity 

 of lime, it occurs also, living saprophytically on the dead cells of 

 algse. From the endophytic bundles of threads found inside these, 

 the fungus developed in the form of somewhat knotty hyphse, resem- 

 bling the aquatic mycelium of Mucor racemosus, but not forming 

 gemmfe. The filaments become afterwards more slender, and develope 

 the sickle-shaped conidia only at the margin where exposed to the air. 

 The fungus indeed requires for its development free access of air, and 

 soon perishes under water. The best nutrient fluid is a solution of 

 cigar-ash and grape-sugar (1-2 per cent, of each). 



Hypholoma fasciculare, an enemy to forest-trees.f — F. Ludwig 

 describes the destructive eflect of the mycelium of this fungus on the 

 roots of pine trees. The bark was partially split, and the leaves had 

 dropped off except a single terminal tuft. The lower part of the 

 trunk was covered with great quantities of the fructification of the 

 same fungus. 



Paipalopsis Irmischise.J — J. Kiihn describes under this name a 

 fungus, which he regards as a new generic type of Ustilaginese, 

 parasitic on species of Primula, especially P. officinalis and elatior. 

 It attacks principally the stamens, but is found also in the corolla 

 and ovary, reducing the internal tissue to the condition of a fine 

 powder. Its spores increase by division and lateral budding, thus 

 forming balls or strings composed of a number of spores separated 

 from one another by gelatinous layers. The mycelium penetrates 

 the tissue of the host, the spores being found at the projecting and 

 exposed apices of some of the hyphge. 



* Bot. Ztg., xl. (1882) pp. 691-4 (1 pL). 



t SB. Ges. naturf. Freunde zu Berlin, Oct. 17, 1882. See Bot. Oentralbl., 

 xii. (1882) p. 318. 



X Irmischia, ii. (1882) pp. 39-40. See Bot. Centralbl., xiii. (1883) p. 1. 



