Igtt] CURRENT LITERATURE 413 
be included under cecidology, is that part of the work of East and Haves’? 
on inheritance in maize which refers to “ plant abnormalities.”” In this part 
of the work, the authors state their objects as follows: “The first object was 
to see whether the manner of transmission of inheritable monstrous char- 
acters gives any clue to the reason why monstrosities have seldom obtained a 
foothold in nature when in competition with normal types. The second object 
was commercial. If teratological specimens appear in commercial varieties 
of maize, it is desirable to know the easiest method to destroy them.” The 
authors discuss the appearance of and experiments with dwarf forms, irregular- 
ay of rows of seeds on cob, bifurcated ears, ears with lateral branches, plants 
with striped leaves, and hermaphrodite flowers. They call attention to the 
fact that many of these monstrous variations occur in strains that have been 
self fertilized for several generations, and suggest that inbreeding may give 
€ same effect as lack of nutrients, while cross-breeding may give the opposite 
effect. Monstrosities are due to retardation or acceleration of cell divisions. 
The question is then raised as to whether the monstrosities might not be due 
to an abnormal distribution of the chromatin. Another paper is promised on 
the effects of inbreeding in maize.—MEL. T. Cook. 
Recent papers on Phytomyxaceae.—MaireE and Tison® have published 
a brief note on Tetramyxa parasitica Goebel, which produces galls on Ruppia 
and Zannichellia. The parasite appears in the host cell in the form of an 
amoeba, which undergoes division simultaneously with the host cell in such 
a way that at first only a single amoeba appears in each cell. During this 
Stage the nuclei are said to divide in the manner described by NAWASCHIN 
and by Prowazexk for Plasmodiophora. As these accounts differ somewhat 
as to detail, it may be inferred that the division in its main features follows 
the method common to the members of this group, by the formation of a 
chromatic ring around a karyosome, both of which divide. This stage is followed 
by the chromidial stage, during which the chromatin disappears from the nuclei 
and ch tic bodies appear in the protopl Later the (same) nuclei appear 
with a chromatin network and undergo two karyokinetic divisions, which are 
followed by spore formation. Karyogamy was not observed. 
In a second paper, Marre and Tison” describe a new genus, Ligniera, 
to include those species of the Plasmodiophoraceae which lack the schizogenous 
Stage or have it very poorly developed, and which do not cause gall formation in 
the host plant. By these characteristics the genus is separated from the genera 
? East, E. M., and Hayes, H. K., Inheritance in maize. Conn. Agric. Exp. 
Station, Bull. 167. pp. 129-137. IQII. 
*® Marre, RENE, et T1soN, ADRIEN, Sur quelques Plasmodiophoracées. Compt. 
Rend. 150: 1768-1770. I9I0. 
**——.. Sur quelques Plasmodiophoracées non hypertrophiantes. Compt. 
Rend. 1§2: 206-208. rgrr. 
