﻿J. 
  S. 
  Brown 
  — 
  Bernardinite 
  : 
  a 
  Mineral 
  or 
  a 
  Ftingus 
  f 
  49 
  

  

  each 
  case, 
  consisting 
  of 
  fine 
  fibers, 
  mixed 
  with 
  some 
  granules. 
  

   I 
  have 
  not 
  had 
  time 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  the 
  substance 
  [fiber] 
  is 
  cel- 
  

   lulose, 
  but 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be, 
  being 
  insoluble 
  in 
  all 
  neutral 
  

   solvents 
  and 
  unacted 
  upon 
  by 
  bromine 
  water. 
  The 
  alcoholic 
  

   solutions 
  being 
  evaporated 
  to 
  dryness, 
  left 
  a 
  crystalline 
  residue. 
  

   The 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  residue 
  is 
  crystalline 
  — 
  the 
  crystals 
  being 
  im- 
  

   bedded 
  in 
  some 
  amorphous 
  substance. 
  The 
  crystalline 
  substance 
  

   is 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  crystalline 
  acids, 
  which 
  form 
  soluble 
  crystalline 
  

   salts. 
  The 
  appearance 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  is 
  the 
  same, 
  and 
  I 
  therefore 
  

   do 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  pronounce 
  the 
  two 
  specimens 
  identical." 
  

  

  My 
  petrographic 
  microscope 
  showed 
  clearly 
  the 
  structural 
  

   similarity 
  of 
  the 
  substances 
  and 
  suggested 
  a 
  fungous 
  origin, 
  and 
  

   a 
  botanical 
  authority 
  was 
  sought 
  in 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  H. 
  Knowlton 
  whose 
  

   examination 
  of 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  each 
  piece, 
  with 
  a 
  biological 
  mi- 
  

   croscope, 
  not 
  only 
  confirmed 
  previous 
  testimony 
  as 
  to 
  identity, 
  

   but 
  indicated 
  their 
  fungous 
  character 
  with 
  certainty. 
  

  

  Assuming 
  that 
  the 
  sameness 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  has 
  been 
  

   established, 
  a 
  brief 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  nature, 
  origin 
  and 
  struc- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  the 
  substance 
  may 
  be 
  given. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Stillman 
  expressed 
  the 
  belief* 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  res- 
  

   inous 
  secretion 
  which, 
  having 
  fallen 
  from 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  con- 
  

   ifer, 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  debris, 
  lost 
  all 
  traces 
  of 
  volatile 
  and 
  

   soluble 
  matter, 
  became 
  permeated 
  and 
  splintered 
  by 
  a 
  fung- 
  

   ous 
  growth 
  and 
  being 
  mixed 
  with 
  surface 
  soil, 
  would 
  easily 
  

   be 
  mistaken 
  by 
  untrained 
  observers 
  for 
  material 
  in 
  situ. 
  

   Considering 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  Professor 
  Stillman 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  the 
  

   bernardinite 
  (?) 
  in 
  place 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  specimens 
  available 
  for 
  

   his 
  guidance 
  were 
  f 
  ragmen 
  tal, 
  stained 
  and 
  weathered, 
  it 
  is 
  

   remarkable 
  he 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  give 
  so 
  plain 
  a 
  

   hint 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  character 
  and 
  source. 
  But 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  the 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  probably 
  is, 
  that 
  the 
  Jungous 
  growth 
  is 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  the 
  resin 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  resin 
  for 
  the 
  fungus 
  growth. 
  

   Through 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  Professor 
  Gallaway 
  of 
  the 
  Agricul- 
  

   tural 
  Department, 
  the 
  large 
  specimen 
  was 
  referred 
  to 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  B. 
  

   Ellis, 
  of 
  Plainfield, 
  ]ST. 
  J., 
  an 
  authority 
  on 
  fungi, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  by 
  

   him 
  recognized 
  as 
  the 
  fungus 
  " 
  Poly 
  porous 
  officinalis 
  Fries." 
  

   As 
  already 
  noted 
  its 
  home 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  pine 
  tree 
  and 
  it 
  probably 
  

   occurs 
  over 
  a 
  wide 
  area, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  Pinus 
  strobus 
  of 
  

   Michigan, 
  and 
  a 
  specimen 
  has 
  just 
  been 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  

   Museum 
  from 
  Wyoming. 
  A 
  glance 
  at 
  figure 
  2, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  

   half 
  the 
  natural 
  size, 
  shows 
  clearly 
  the 
  ring-like 
  growth 
  and 
  the 
  

   remains 
  of 
  tubes. 
  Figure 
  3 
  is 
  from 
  a 
  photograph 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  

   piece 
  of 
  Professor 
  Stillman's 
  original 
  material 
  and 
  is 
  full 
  size. 
  

  

  A 
  microscopical 
  examination 
  of 
  a 
  thin 
  section 
  shows 
  the 
  

   features 
  represented 
  in 
  figure 
  4. 
  A 
  somewhat 
  regular 
  arrange- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  granules 
  is 
  seen 
  (indicated 
  by 
  the 
  lighter 
  color), 
  which 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  Jour., 
  vol. 
  xr, 
  page 
  93. 
  

   Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci— 
  Third 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  XLII, 
  No. 
  247.— 
  July, 
  1891. 
  

   4 
  

  

  