FUNGI. 



369 



Various fungi live upon animal bodies as well as upon vegetal. 

 Of the various fungi which attack man, the Sarcina ventriculi 

 (fig. 858) may be mentioned as an example. 



But one fungus, called Saprolegnia (fig. 859), is a great pest to us 

 in the fish breeding season. It attacks the ova, and completely 

 encrusts it, destroying the young trout inside. Some naturalists consider 

 it to be an alga, others a fungus ; it is very destructive to the ova of 

 fish, and we find it necessary to remove every affected ^g'g as soon as 

 possible. 



r\n^ 



Fig. 860. — Ascomyces deformans, 

 magnified. 



Fig. 859.— Saprolegnia on Ovum,, 

 nat. size, and x 20 diam. 



The leaves of almond and peach, trees are often curled, and dis- 

 to-rted. According to my observations, this is due to an injury inflicted 

 by an aphis. The Rev. Mr. Berkeley, however, ascribes the result to a 

 fungus which I have reproduced from his ""Outhnes of British Fungo- 

 logy," where he calls it the Ascomyces deformans or Ascosporium defor- 

 mans (fig. 860). Every year this distortion of leaves occurs in my garden.. 

 I have not seen this fungus myself, but doubtless it is another instance 

 of the association of aphis and fungus, so common in the garden. 



MY FERNERIES. 



It is always refreshing to walk from the set flower-garden^-wherci 



as Delille says, everything is symmetrical — to the wild garden, where 



everything is natural. 



" Soin done ces froids jardins, colrfichet champltv^t 

 Insipides rdduits, dont I'insipide maitre 

 Vous vante, en s'admirant, ses arbres bien peign^s ; 

 Ses petits salons verts, bien tondus, bien soign^s ; 



B B 



