Notes and Brief Articles 



349 



this that all of the forms behaving in this way are autonomous and 

 have no ascospore stage. Until we know vastly more about the 

 factors which determine the sequence and development of the 

 various spore forms, it is futile to predict that, when cultures 

 from ascospores produce ascocarps directly, the species lack lower 

 forms ; or that, when they produce pycnidia or conidia, this is the 

 only lower spore form they possess. 



The author very aptly remarks that there are many unknown 

 factors yet to be determined in regard to the behavior of these 

 organisms under cultural conditions. 



The life histories of various species of Gnomonia follow, the 

 author including under this genus what have been called Ophio- 

 gnomonia, Gnomoniella, Linospora and Hypospila. The conidial 

 forms of most of these species are referred to the form genera 

 Gloeosporium, Marssonina, Asteroma and Leptothyrium. The 

 only conclusion he is able to draw from the great variety of lower 

 spore forms obtained is that, if the various intermediate states 

 which occur between conidial and pycnidial fructifications are rec- 

 ognized, it may be said that the lower forms of Gnomonia all be- 

 long to the Melanconiaceae. 



It seems evident that much more study and comparison of the 

 morphological characters and the correlation of further life history 

 studies are needed in order to determine the generic and specific 

 relationships of the species and genera discussed. 



In conclusion the author discusses and illustrates the life his- 

 tories of several discomycetes, including Entomopeziza Soraueri, 

 Pseudopeziza ribis, P. Populi-albae and P. salicis. As a result he 

 concludes that species of Gloeosporium, Marssonina and Entomo- 

 sporium are conidial conditions of these fungi, and that also species 

 of Gloeosporium, Marssonina and similar fungi belong to species 

 of Gnomonia. He, therefore, is of the opinion that the relation 

 between these discomycetes and the pyrenomycetes mentioned is 

 very close. 



The reviewer believes, however, that this relation is not nearly so 

 close as suggested, and that the author's conclusion is perhaps due 

 to a misinterpretation of the form genera mentioned. Gloeo- 

 sporium, for example, as used by Saccardo and others, includes a 



