SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



The plasmodium of Chondrioderma radiatum is 

 milky-white, and may be sought for on decayed 

 logs of poplar, etc. It is advisable when immature 

 sporangia are found that they should be allowed to 

 ripen slowly, as otherwise the development is im- 

 perfect. 



The colours of the matured sporangia vary 

 according to the species. Many of them are 

 chalky-white, others yellow, some are brown, red, 

 pink, or violet ; but they are never the green hue 

 of chlorophyll. 



The sporangia may be stalked or sessile, and 

 the stalk when present is sometimes extended into 

 the spore case, when it is said to form a columella. 

 In some species the sporangia resemble groups of 

 miniature pine trees, about half an inch high, as 

 in Stemonitis, the colour of which is a dusky brown. 



The largest Mycetozoon that has come under my 

 notice was on the upturned roots of a fallen elm 

 tree in Luton Hoo Park. Roughly speaking it 

 was about nine inches long by six inches wide, 

 and proved to be a fine growth of Brefeldia 

 maxima. For several feet its track was marked 

 on the log by slimy refuse. It had also discoloured 

 some patches of moss where it had crept, and from 

 which it had probably extracted nourishment. It 

 would have been an interesting sight to see the 

 Plasmodium in motion, as it must have formed a 

 considerable mass and have been quite con- 

 spicuous, the colour being pure white. In singular 

 contrast to this the ripe sporangia (aethalium) and 

 their contents were almost black. 



Amongst the rarer species, that known as 

 Cribraria violaoea, from Ashbridge Woods, Bucks, 

 deserves a passing notice. It grew on the under 

 side of beech bark, and the separate sporangia were 

 so minute that they were only visible in full sun- 

 light. This was the first European record for the 

 species, it having previously been found in Phil- 

 adelphia, U.S.A. Since then it has been discovered 

 near Lyme Regis and also in Antigua. 



One of the most noteworthy finds occurred during 

 a short holiday in N. Wales. - Whilst traversing a 

 mountain pass in Merionethshire, and walking over 

 an extensive bog, a mass of brick-red plasmodium 

 was seen emerging from a tuft of bog-moss (Spliag- 

 nvmi). A portion was taken carefully away, and 

 fortunately after the journey retained sufficient 

 vigour to develop several small groups of sporangia. 

 Part of the material was forwarded to Mr. A. Lister, 

 who determined it to be Chondrioderma simplex, a 

 species which had before been observed only in 

 Silesia. A voucher specimen of the Welsh gather- 

 ing has been deposited in the British Museum, 

 and the species has also recently been found in 

 Perthshire in a similar situation. 



A very beautiful group of sporangia that has 

 come under my notice was found in a small damp 

 wooded hollow near Welwyn, Herts. This was a 

 fine growth of Phywrum eltrinum, which is of a 

 bright yellow colour. It occupied a surface of 



about eight square inches, partly on a decayed 

 stump and also on the surrounding vegetation. The 

 sporangia could be numbered by hundreds, and 

 although many of them were left to reproduce the 

 species, it has not been again observed up to the 

 date of writing. 



One of the most prolific woods of the midland 

 counties for Mycetozoa is at Flitwick, in Bedford- 

 shire. It is an undrained alder swamp, and in 

 favourable seasons they occur in countless numbers. 

 Up to the present this small wood has yielded sixty 

 species, or nearly half the number of those recorded 

 for the British Isles. Reference has been made to 

 the fact that old straw heaps sometimes yield a 

 copious supply of these organisms. A notable 

 instance is that of JBadhamia ovispora, which was 

 first found in this country near Luton, in Bedford- 

 shire, and has recently been observed in 

 Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. The only 

 previous record for this species is Cracow, in 

 Poland. 



In the study of these organisms, the worker 

 would find ample room for original research, and 

 the pursuit would furnish him with agreeable 

 exercise both for the body and mind. It is my 

 pleasing duty to acknowledge the willing assistance 

 of Miss G. Lister, both in naming the more critical 

 srjecies and in making some of the drawings which 

 have been photographed to form illustrations to 

 this article. 



(To be continued.) 



Vatican Observatory. — It is reported that 

 the Pope has been offered, and has accepted, the 

 gift of a telescope larger than that exhibited at 

 the Paris Exhibition last year. The donor is a 

 South American citizen. It will occupy a pro- 

 minent place among the many valuable instru- 

 ments of research in the Vatican Observatory. It 

 is just a century ago since Cardinal Zelada gave 

 the then famous Dollond's telescope to this valu- 

 able collection. 



Platyscopic Lens.— Mr. John Browning, of 63 

 Strand, London, desires us to draw the attention of 

 our readers who are not already familiar with the ad- 

 vantages of his Platyscopic Pocket Lens, which we 

 here figure about half its actual size. This little in- 

 strument combines with the portability and power of 

 the Stanhope and Coddington lenses the important 



feature that it focusses at a point three or four 

 times as far away from the object under examina- 

 tion as do those lenses. This permits of the more 

 satisfactory examination of opaque objects, as the 

 lens does not obscure the light in consequence of 

 its nearness. We have long carried one of these 

 instruments and found it invaluable. This lens is 

 made in four powers of magnification, being 10, 15, 

 20, and 30 diameters, the first being most suitable 

 for general use. 



