556 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
special part, and is adorned with 306 illustrations, partly woodcuts and 
partly photographs. 
Conversion of Aspergillus Oryzse into a Saccharomycete.* — By 
making cultivations of Tane-Koji, Mr. J. J. Juhler found it to consist 
of the spores of three different kinds of fungus, a white mould resembling 
the Amylomyces Pouxii described by Calmette, a species of Mucor , and 
an Asjpergillus which is undoubtedly the Aspergillus Oryzse described by 
Cohn, Cultivations on suitable substrata soon showed that Aspergillus 
Oryzse rapidly saccharised starch. Experiments were then made to 
determine on what substrata and under what conditions the diastatic 
ferment -was best produced from A. Oryzse ; and it was found that there 
was a close connection between it and the formation of the mycele, and 
that it was dependent upon the rapidity of growth. The germination- 
and develoj^ment of the fungus was followed on various substrata and 
under various conditions, and it was found that when the temperature 
was suitable, and the supply of air copious, the ripe conids developed 
a mycele. If, however, the medium contained much starch, so that it 
came under the influence of the diastatic ferment, it was saccharised and. 
became fluid, the conids sank down in the fluid — thus becoming excluded 
from access of air — and their appearance gradually changed (always 
supposing that the other conditions remained favourable). Instead of 
being round with rough surface, they became longish with smooth sur- 
face; while before they were quite o])aque, they now became quite 
transparent in all the transition stages ; instead of being conids, which 
grew and thrived as such, they became yeast fungi, having all the cha- 
racteristics peculiar to Saccharomycetes. 
The author’s experiments to reconvert the new formed yeast cells 
into Aspergillus failed, but he expresses the hope that he will ere long 
succeed. 
Composition of the Spores of Penicillium glaucum.f — The earlier 
researches of Herr E. Cramer show r ed that Penicillium spores contain a 
large amount of dry substance, and that in dry air they give off all 
their water, recovering it again in moist. The analysis recently made 
by the author shows that the dry substance of P. glaucum spores has, 
the following composition : — N-substances ( = albumen) 28 • 44- per cent. ;; 
ether extract 7*34; alcohol extract 30*46; starch 17*00; cellulose 
11*13; ash 1*91; residue 3*72. Those carbohydrates which are inverted 
by dilute are reckoned as.starch. The alcoholic extract is strongly 
hygroscopic. 
Fungus growing in a Solution of Copper.}: — Under the name 
Penicillium' cupricum M. L. Trabut describes a mould-fungus, closely, 
resembling P. glaucum , which he found flourishing in a 9*5 per cent, 
solution of cupric sulphate. 
Biological Status of Lichens.§ — Mr. A. Schneider strongly sup* 
ports Beinke’s view that Lichens cannot be regarded as a group of 
* Centralbl. f. Bnkteriol. u. Parasitenk., 2 te Abt., i. (1895) pp. 326-9. Cf. this. 
Journal, ante , p. 343. 
f Arch. f. Hygiene, xx. (1894) pp. 197-205. See Centralbl. f.. Bakteriol. u. 
Parasitenk., 2 te A-bt., i. (.1895) p. 499. 
X Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xlii. (1895) pp. 33-4. 
§ Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, xxii. (1895) pp. 189-98. Cf. this Journal, ante , p. 82. 
