130 BETTS ! THE FUNGI OF THE BEE-HIVE. 
unconspicuous, hyphae branched, intertwined, septate, fertile 
branches erect bearing short chains of yellow, subglobose conidia, 
4-5 gw... On honey-comb. Rare (Type in Herb. Berk. Kew). 
An examination of type specimen shows the conidia subglobose and 
concatenate in short chains. When quite young the conidia are 
filiform.” 
Dénhoff and Leuckart in 1856 discovered a parasite in the chyle- 
stomach of the honey-bee. This organism was described by Hoff- 
mann (15), and named Mucor melitlophthorus ; a supposed ‘‘ oidium- 
form” being designated Oidium leuckarti. It has recently been 
pointed out! that the supposed \Jucor spores were in all probability 
a stage of the protozoan parasite Nosema apis; and it is fairly obvious 
from Hoflmann’s figures and description that he mistook detached 
cells of the stomach-epithelium full of Nosema spores for sporangia. 
Mucor melittophthorus must therefore be struck off the list of the 
Fungi. Oidium leuckarti apparently consisted of fragments of 
mycelium, which it is impossible to identify. These may have been 
merely ingested by the bees, but it is possible that the fungus was 
growing in the stomach (cf. Graham-Smith and Bullamore’s experi- 
ment (12, p. 85) where Aspergillus niger and Penicillium were in 
some cases apparently induced to grow in the stomachs of Nosema- 
infected bees). 
Higgins (14) in 1858 published an account of the death of some 
bees, caused, it was presumed, by a fungus. His description is, 
unfortunately, insufficient to determine the species which made its 
appearance on the dead bees, and which he did not name. 
Preuss (24) in 1869 found Penicillium crustaceum to be common 
in hives in the spring. 
Zorn and Hallier (30) in 1870 found Thamnidium elegans and 
Myxotrichum chartarum growing on diseased brood-combs. They 
erroneously supposed that these fungi were the cause of “‘ foul- 
brood.”’ 
Cowan (6) in 1881 described a hee-disease, which occurred in 
Denmark in 1880, and appears to have been due to a fungus which 
was either a species of Cluviceps or of Cordyceps. The drone- 
brood was the first to be attacked; the disease spread to the worker- 
brood ; and finally the adult bees became diseased. The pupae dried 
up in their cells, and were permeated by mycelium. Stromata were 
subsequently developed. It is noted that ergot of rye was very 
1W. Hein, in a paper read at the Conference of German, Austrian and Hungarian 
bee-keepers, at Constance, August 8th, 1g1r. Nosema afis appears to be the causal 
organism of the ‘‘Isle of Wight’ bee-disease (77). 
