664 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
when in contact with air, began to bifurcate and to form sterigmata from 
which conids were developed. Cultivations were made from the stage 
when yeast-like cells were separated off, in must, raisin decoction, and 
beer wort. In the last only yeast-like cells and a few torula cells deve- 
loped. Plate-cultivations were made from these cells, and two kinds of 
colonies, red and white, came up. The white were spherical (6-7 /x), 
and always possessed fermenting properties. The red cells were ellip- 
soid (4-5 /x), and many contained one or tw T o oil droplets. These had 
no fermentation properties. The complete development of the fungus on 
the grape itself has yet to be made out, but it seems possible that the 
metamorphosis may be dependent on much moisture. 
Fungi participating in Sake-making.* — MM. J. Kosai and K. Yabe 
found that two quite different organisms share in the production of sake. 
If a plate-cultivation be made of koji two different kinds of colonies 
arise — one an Aspergillus , the other a yeast. If Pasteur’s medium be 
infected with the Aspergillus colony, only mycele and spores grow up. 
If, on the other hand, a saccharated or non-saccharated medium or 
boiled rice or potato be inoculated from the yeast colony, not a trace of 
mycele appears. When inoculated on rice, or, after an interval of several 
days, on moist gypsum, this yeast forms 1-3 ascospores ; in koji many 
of these spores, mixed with Aspergillus spores, are found under the 
Microscope on careful examination. This sake yeast most resembles 
Saccharomyces cerevisise. 
Morphology of the Lichen-Thallus.j — After some further arguments 
in favour of his views respecting the systematic position of Lichens, 
Prof. J. Reinke describes in great detail the structures of the thallus in 
the families Caliciaceae, Lecideaceae, and Graphideae. 
From the true Caliciaceae the author separates a number of genera 
as Protocaliciace,e ; these are true fungi, their mycele being destitute 
of alga-gonids, and appear to form an archaic branch of the JDisco- 
mycetes. On this ground the author separates from Calicium those 
species w'hich have no true lichen-thallus, placing them under Myco- 
calicium. The Lecideaceae have clearly descended from the Ascomycetes, 
and are Patellariaceae with a lichen-thallus. They are arranged under 
two families, the Lecideae and the Baeomyceae, of which the latter is far 
the most differentiated. Here again we have corresponding genera, of 
which one is a Fungus, the other a true Lichen, e. g. Biatorella and 
Biatoridium. The Graphideae constitute, like the Lecideaceae, a poly- 
phyletic tribe, the genera of which have descended from various Disco- 
mycetes. The gonids belong, for the most part, to the genus Chroolepus , 
while others are formed from Palmella, Protococcus , or Bhyllactidium. 
The fungus element is frequently descended from the Patellariaceae ; 
hence the close relationship with the Lecideaceae ; Lecidea may be traced 
back to Patinella. 
Relationship of Lichens to Fungi.}: — Herr G. Lindau criticises 
adversely Reinke’s view that Lichens should be maintained as a distinct 
* Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 2 te Abt., i. (1895) pp. 619-20. 
t Jahrb. f. wiss. Bot. (Pfeffer u. Strasburger), xxviii. (1895) pp. 39-150 (75 figs.). 
Cf. this Journal, ante, p. 83. 
t Hedwigia, xxxiv. (1895) pp. 195-204. Gf. this Journal, ante, p. 82. 
