176 Catalogue of Works on Gardening, fyc. 



the juices arc returned improperly elaborated, laying the foundation of disease 

 of several kinds ; insects become numerous, and the plants become so enfeebled 

 as to render their efforts to ripen their fruit entirely abortive." (p. 16.) 



Proceedings of the Linncean Society of London. Session 1838-9. No. I. 



8vo, pp. 8. 



We are glad to see this venerable Society following the example of its 

 younger brethren, in publishing abridged notices of their proceedings at short 

 intervals ; viz., whenever they will fill half a sheet, or a sheet. This practice 

 cannot fail to benefit the Society, by giving the public a greater interest in it ; 

 to diffuse correct views instead of erroneous ones, which is often done by the 

 newspapers and periodicals, in consequence of the reporters not understanding 

 the subject ; and it will gratify the authors of papers, by their seeing them 

 early noticed, instead of being, perhaps, passed over altogether, or only appear- 

 ing in the Society's Transactions, at a distant period. 



ErgotceHea abortans Queck. The Ergot. — The number before us contains 

 an abstract from a paper on the cause of ergot, by Mr. John Smith, A.L.S., 

 of the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew; and another on the same subject, by 

 E. J. Queckett, Esq., F.L.S. Both authors agree in thinking that the ergot 

 is a minute filamentous fungus ; and the following conclusion of Mr. Queckett's 

 paper may enable the gardener to form some definite ideas on the subject. 



" From these observations, which have been followed up in many ergotised 

 grasses, Mr. Queckett is inclined to believe that the ergot is a grain diseased 

 by a particular parasitic fungus developing in or about it, whose sporidia find 

 the young state of the grain a matrix suitable for their growth, and quickly run 

 their race, not entirely depriving it of its vitality, but communicating to it such 

 impressions, which pervert its regular growth, and likewise the healthy form- 

 ation of its constituents, being at last composed of its diseased materials, which 

 are mixed up with fungic matter which has developed within it. 



" The fungus caused to germinate in the way described is quite invisible to 

 the naked eye, seldom .measuring beyond the one or two hundredth part of an 

 inch ; and from comparisons with British and foreign genera of Fungaceas, it 

 has not been found that it belongs satisfactorily to any as at present consti- 

 tuted ; the author therefore proposes a new genus, with the title Ergotaetea, 

 to represent this minute fungus, which will belong to the sub-order Coniomy- 

 cetes of Fries, and to its division Mucedines, very near to the genus Sepe- 

 donium. 



" After repeated experiments with the sporidia of the ergot of rye, of 

 Elymus, and other grasses, the author has always succeeded in making them 

 germinate, and has not discovered such differences as would lead him to con- 

 sider that the parasite in each case was not the same, therefore he has applied 

 the term abortans, as the specific name of Ergotaetea, to the plant found on 

 the ergot of rye, and believes the parasites, on the other grasses which have 

 been examined, to be of the same species." 



Cerens tetragonus Dec. — A paper on this plant was read by E. Rudge, Esq. 

 F Jfc.S. & L.S., with whom it flowered during the three past years. 



" This plant has blossomed during the three past years in Mi'. Rudge's 

 collection at Abbey Manor House, near Evesham. The flowers expand in 

 the evening, like those of C. grandiflorus, which they resemble, but are not 

 above half the size. The number of the angles of the stem is variable. The 

 species is an old inhabitant of our stoves, but has rarely flowered." 



Iridece of India. — Five species from different parts of India, including Ne- 

 paul and Kamaon, are described by Professor Don. 



Spongitla fluviatilis. The River Sponge . — A paper by J. Hogg, Esq., 

 M.A., F.L.S., was read. 



" The author's views of the vegetable nature of the river sponge were given 

 in a paper read before the Society on the 5th of June, 1838, a report of which 

 was inserted in the August number of the ' Annals of Natural History.' " 

 Here is] an instance of the carelessness against which we have often had 



