LITERATURE. 
47 
An Entomophilous Basidiomycete. — N. Patouillard has described 
the occurrence of a basidiomycetous fungus belonging to the 
Clavarise, growing on a beetle collected in Equador. The fungus, 
at first sight, resembles an Isaria , but microscopic examination 
revealed the presence of spores borne on basidia. In the known 
species included in the group Clavarise, the basidia are clavate, 
thickest at the apex, and gradually attenuated towards the base, 
whereas, in the present species, the basidia are oval and attenuated 
at both ends. This and other features are considered as of 
generic value, and the species is made the type of a new genus, 
characterized as follows : — 
Hsrsutella, Pat. 
Sporophore erect, club-shaped, simple or branched, rigid, almost 
coriaceous. Hymenium surrounding the club, separating readily ; 
subhy menial layer absent; basidia sessile or nearly so, sterigmata 
' 1-2, subulate, very long ; spores colourless. 
H. entomophila, Pat. 
Mycelium forming a short grey down ; clubs numerous, 3-5 
m.m. high, simple, cylindrical, greyish-violet, pointed and sterile 
at the apex ; basidia sessile or nearly so, ovoid, 8-10 x 5-6 p, 
bearing one very long subulate sterigma at the apex, 35-40 p 
long ; spores hyaline, lemon-shaped, apiculate at both ends, 8 X 
6 /i. 
The author places two other species in the new genus, Pterula 
setosa, Peck, growing on old polypori, and Typliula gracilis, Berk, 
and Desm., having bisporous basidia ( Revue Mycol., April, 1892, 
pp. 67). 
Symbolce ad Mycologiam Fennicani, Parts xxiii.-xxix., P. A. 
Karsten (Meddel. of Soc. pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, 1888- 
1891). — Numerous new species are described, and, amongst the 
rest, a species of Lactarius , L. lateritioroseus, Karst., which agrees 
exact'y with a drawing I made some years ago, from a specimen 
found near Scarborough. The description of this species will be 
found amongst the New British Fungi. 
The author states, p. 101, that pi. 402 of Cooke’s “ Illustrations” 
does not represent Inocybe scabellum , Fr., as there stated, but 
that it undoubtedly represents Clypeus subrimosus, Karst., a de- 
scription of which will be found under British Fungi. 
The Ginger-beer Plant (Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc., Vol. 183, p. 
125). — Prof. H. M. Ward has investigated the nature of the 
compound organism popularly known as the “ ginger-beer plant,” 
which consists of transparent, yellowish-white lumps at the bottom 
of the fermentations. These lumps consist essentially of a 
symbiotic association of a Saccharomycete and a Schizomycete, 
both of which are new. The former is called Saccharomyces 
pyrijormis ; the latter, Bacterium vermiforme. Both forms have 
been isolated, and the “ ginger-beer plant ” synthetically produced 
by mixing pure cultures of these two organisms. 
