z ^ THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLH 



to the host by " sinkers" which consist of specially modi- 

 fied, but true, rootlets, although in function they simulate 

 the haustoria of other parasites. The sinkers* penetrate 

 the bark of the host and obtain nourishment for the para- 

 site from the growing tissues beneath it, much as food-sap 

 is obtained from the soil by normal plants. The para- 

 sitism is complete. Examples: The mistletoes. 



The members of group II are perhaps the most gener- 

 ally known, at least by name, of all the phenogamous 

 parasites. The family 

 to which they belong, 

 the Loranthaceae, is a 

 large one, and some 

 of its members differ 

 considerably from the 

 typical forms of mis- 

 tletoe. Only Viscum 

 album of the Old 

 World, and Phora- 

 dendron flavescens, 

 of the New, however, 

 are chosen to repre- 

 sent group II on this 

 occasion. These mis- 

 of phora- toes differ from the 



mistletoe; mem | )ers Q f ft J] file 



other parasitic groups 

 arasites upon 



also in their method of par 

 liar because it simulates grafting 

 true rootlets 



That metho 



the 



of >; 



from 



li'll s,l, 



i them capable of 



