40 H. MARSHALL WAR]). 



furfuraceus 1 is still less established than in Pyronema. The ascogo- 

 nium in Ascobolus is large and well marked, it is true, but the so-called 

 pollinodium is very little, if at all, different from the ordinary mycelium. 

 Probably in this, as in other Ascoboli, 2 the male organ is degenerated. 

 Reference is then made to recent researches on other Discomycetes. 

 Mattirolo's 3 and Brefeld's 4 investigations of Peziza sclerotiorum show 

 that the process of reduction has gone still further in this case ; even 

 the ascogonium seems to have disappeared. Other Pezizae, 6 so far as 

 the researches allow us to judge, seem to present similar degenerations. 



Kihlmann thinks we may probably say that Pyronema confluens 

 possesses sharply distinguished sexual organs — at any rate, morpho- 

 logically. Ascobolus furfuraceus probably produces its fructification 

 parthenogenetically, while Peziza sclerotiorum forms its asci and para- 

 physes in a purely vegetative manner. At any rate, apogamy must be 

 regarded as occurring in these Discomycetes, and as being attained 

 gradually through a series of forms. 



Before referring to other work of Kihlmann's I wish to review an 

 important paper by Fisch, 6 published in 1882. In this are detailed 

 the development of the fructification of several Ascomycetes which form 

 a stroma, in which the proper perithecia are buried, more or less. He 

 is clearly acquainted with the recent researches and speculations of De 

 Bary," and, in fact, worked in his laboratory. Very little has been 

 done with regard to the Fungi mentioned, and so careful a paper as 

 this is especially welcome. The Fungi examined by Fisch are Poly- 

 stigma, Xylaria, Claviceps, and Cordiceps. 



Polystigma occurs in the leaves of Prunus, 1 forming swollen masses. 

 The formation of the ascospores takes place some months after the 

 fall of the leaf. The ascospores, sown in water, produce secondary 

 spores. These send hyphse through the epidermis of the living leaf, 

 and a mycelium is formed in the intercellular spaces. This breaks 

 down the cells in part, or stimulates them to hypertrophy, and thus 

 the stroma is formed, partly of mycelium, partly of hypertrophied 

 leaf-tissue. 8 Eight weeks after infection, the young spermagonia 



1 Janczewski, 'Bot. Zeit.,' 1871. 



* E. g. A. pulcherrimus ; Woronin, ' Beitr. zur Morpli.,' R. ii. 

 3 ' Nuovo G-iorn. Bot. Ital.,' vol. xiv. 



* ' Schinmielpilze,' iv. 



6 Cf. Woronin, op. cit., and Tulasne, ' Ann, des Sc. Nat.,' ser. 5, t. vi. 

 B " Entw. einiger Ascornyceten," ' Bot. Zeit.,' No. 49, 1882. 



7 Cf. Frank, ' Krankheiten der Pflanzen,' p. 632, 



8 Cf. Tulasne, ' Selecta Fung. Carpi,' iii, and De Bai'y, ' Morph. und Phys. der Pilze,' &c.| 

 .p. 8.; also Frank, loc. oit. 



