340 



VINE ON LUMINOUS WOOD, 



W. G. Smith. 



Diseases of Mushrooms. Gard. Chron., August 23rd, p. 245. Yorkshire. 



A new species of Fitsisporhini (named F. )imcophytuui Smith) is described 

 and figured. It was parasitic on Agariacs {Volvaria) gloiocephalus Fr. found 

 on shoddy, near Huddersfield. 



H. T. SOPPITT. 



Poisonous Fungi. Gard. Chron., November 15th, p. 629. Lancashire. 



Reports that in a case of fungus-poisoning at Eccles near Manchester, the 

 species instrumental were Agariais {Stropharid) stercorarius Fr., A.{S.) semi- 

 globatus Batsch., A. {Panaohcs) separatiis L., A. (P.) fimiputris Bull., 

 A. {Psilocybe) seinilanceatus Fr., five of the most unwholesome that could 

 have been gathered. 



James W. H. Trail. Yorkshire. 

 On the species of Phragmidium on Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) in Scotland. 

 Scott. Nat., January, p. 123. 



The form Phr. nibi (recorded by Plowright from Yorkshire) has not fallen 

 into writer's hands from Scotland. 

 W. West. Derbyshire, Yorkshire. 



On the Upland Botany of Derbyshire. Journ. Bot., March, xxii. 71-74. 



Numerous and detailed field-notes upon the heights to which the Derby- 

 shire plants ascend, supplementary to J. G. Baker's paper in the January 

 number. _ 



LUMINOUS WOOD. 



By GEORGE R. VINE. 



I HAVE read with very great interest the notes of Mr. Musson on 

 Luminous Wood {^Naturalists September 1885, p. 326-327), and I am 

 glad to be able to add a little to what he has already given. About 

 twelve months since we bought two pennyworth of fire-wood from the 

 ordinary hawker, and it was placed in the cellar on a brick floor. 

 When I went down into the cellar after dusk, but without a light, I was 

 surprised to find nearly the whole of the wood all aglow, but the 

 luminosity was rather dull. I called my son's attention to the strange 

 phenomenon, and we forthwith began a series of experiments. 



1. — The wood was, I believe, the common pine, but it was old 



and not new wood. 



2. — Before we bought it, it had been sawn and chopped into 



fragments suitable for fire-lighting. 



3. — In bringing the wood into the light we could not see that there 



was any fungoid growth in the wood^ because wherever the 

 mycelia of fungi penetrate the medullary rays, or other parts, 

 the wood has a black appearance. 



4. — Neither could we see fungoid growth on the newly-split 



portions of wood. 



5. — Whenever the wood was broken or split the luminosity was 



very brilliant, but we soon found that it was possible to 

 penetrate to a ;^^7;^luminous part. 



Naturalist. 



