EXAMINATION OF MR. A. STEPHEN WILSON’S “‘ScLEROTIA.” 9871 
affinities of ger ea ivvestane. Though we have zoospores in » 
fungi of this kind, there is no nearer sogecasts to the exhibition of 
ngus origin.” Myr. Murray contended ( Journal of Horti- 
multits, March 15th, 1888) iat: the description of these bodies as 
sclerotia was mistaken, since they did not conform to the definition 
c 
nition of a selerotium—a matter not to be wondered at, ee 
the number of new and utterly sited descriptive terms he thi 
it right to employ in his account of these bodies. Finally, ss 
satisfy or confirm Mr. Murray’s doubts, which were expressed at 
meetings of the Scientific Committee of the Royal sbeebs 
ness, sent to that Board a series of spec imens for his s inspection, 
and the — has been ee shortly to the committee. 
e was no sign whatever of the breaking down of cells and ; 
sel coneents in the naighbohchoe d of the so-called sclerotia such 
as ¢ nly accompanies the siecane of a fungus, and the micro- 
scopical examination forced upon the conelision that they 
were merely a form or product of all. con However, the 
potatoes sent by Mr. breil baste ae an 1 watched, and 
in question, the re i call cases negative as regards any 
manifestation of life whatever in them. e ‘ plasmodiation,” 
“‘ myceliation,”’ ao ., described by Mr. Wilson, wholly failed to 
appear. Returning then to the original opinion that they were 
merely a form of on contents, inquiry was made as to their 
circumstances), but soluble in dilute nitric acid, the gue 
pia Nace privately by Mr. Geddes) that they might be piblats 
of lim s then determined to test them for this substance, and, 
a nce his 
were Submitted to Dr. Flight that he might carry out the 
These four portions were placed in dilute nitric acid, an id. ‘after 
the lapse of half an hour, the so-called sclerotia had entirely 
Mi ni agaens The fragments of -—.. were removed from the liquid, 
under the microscope, the grea 
amorphous state. We have eed. no hesitation in saying that 
