SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



207 



corneous brown, composed of seven closely-coiled, 

 slowly increasing, rounded whorls, the last of which 

 descends a little anteriorly. It is finely striated 

 and decussated by microscopic spiral sculpture, 

 scarcely visibly on the earlier whorls, but more 

 apparent below. The peristome is white, a little 

 thickened and reflexed ; the parietal callus has a 

 raised flexuous ridge separated, above and below, 

 from the margins of the peristome. The parietal 

 armature consists of a strong vertical plate, a little 

 deflected posteriorly at the lower extremity, where 

 it terminates in a short strong ridge ; it has also a 

 short support a little higher up on the anterior side, 

 and another short ridge on the posterior side at the 

 upper extremity. Below this plate is a free thin 

 horizontal fold, and a little above the middle of 

 the plate, a short distance from it, rises a strong 

 horizontal plate, which runs parallel with the 

 whorl, and descends a little at the aperture, where 

 it is united with the raised ridge of the parietal 

 callus (see figs. 33^ and b, which shows the shell 

 vi^ith part of the outer wall removed). The palatal 

 armature consists of : first, a thin bilobed hori- 

 zontal fold near the suture ; secondly, a stronger 

 horizontal fold, with a small denticle at its 

 posterior termination (between these folds, in a 

 line with their posterior terminations, is a 

 minute denticle) ; thirdly, a horizontal fold, 

 descending a little posteriorly, where it is 

 slightly notched ; fourthly, a similar horizontal 

 fold, deflected posteriorly, finally slightly raised 

 and notched ; fifthly, a shorter but stronger hori- 

 zontal fold with the posterior end more strongly 

 deflected and also slightly notched ; sixthly, a 

 thinner but longer horizontal fold near the lower 

 suture, attenuated anteriorly (see fig. 33^, which 

 shows the inner side of the outer wall with its 

 palatal folds). Between the posterior terminations 

 of the fifth and sixth folds is found a very slight 

 thin fold extending much further posteriorly than 

 the main folds ; this may prove not to be constant ; 

 it is not mentioned by Mr. Godwin-Austen in 

 his description. The specimen figured is in 

 Mr. Ponsonby's collection, and measures — major 

 diameter, ii*5 millimetres, minor diameter, 10 

 millimetres, axis, 55 millimetres. 



{To be continued.) 



ABNORMAL FUNGUS GROWTH. (M 



T~\URING the last days of October there was 

 ^-^ found in the Jura forests a fungus of the family 

 Riissula, which presented a very singular peculiarity 

 on the pileus, where there grew a little on one side a 

 small Russula, as indicated on figs, i and 2, strongly 

 attached by its stipe and a portion of the rim of its 

 pileus. No determined line of demarcation could 

 (1) From "La Nature," December 12th, 1896. 



be seen between the two individuals. Both were 

 in a perfect state fjf preservation and were not in 

 their first stage of growth ; the collar, which would 

 have indicated its specific name, had disappeared. 

 The gills were untouched, as well as the underneath 

 part of the pileus. The rim round the foot of the 

 stipe of the smaller individual and the surface of 

 the pileus was of a lighter colour. A vertical section 

 of the two subjects (fig. 4) will show their thorough 

 adhesion. 



The tissue of the stipe of the small indi- 

 vidual grows directly into the parenchyma of the 



Abnormal Fungus Growth. 



pileus of the larger specimen. It is difficult to 

 explain this singular growth. Has the small Russula 

 been accidentally thrown on to the large one, and 

 has it by degrees formed one with it through points 

 of contact, or has it developed itself completely at 

 the expense of the organism which bears it by a sort 

 of budding ? Or, has a spore of a neighbouring 

 Russula found on this pileus a favourable site to 

 develop a mycelium out of which would have sprung 

 the visible portion of the fungus. Fig. i shows us 

 the position of the two mushrooms, the small one is 

 seen with inferior view of the pileus. Fig. 2 

 indicates the position of the two fungi, show-ing the 

 small one sideways. Fig. 3 indicates the position 

 of the two fungi ; the small one is seen by the superior 

 portion of the pileus. We see in a the fungus 

 bearer, in b the fungus born, in c the stipe of the 

 fungus born, in d the point uniting a portion of the 

 rim of the born fungus to the dorsal face of the 

 pileus of the fungus bearer. Fig. 4 shows us a 

 transverse section of both fungi. In a is the stipe 

 of the bearer, b the lamels, c the pileus, d the 

 stipe of the born fungus, e the pileus, / the point 

 uniting the rim of the side of the fungi born to the 

 bearer. 



I 3 



