78 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
an anaerobe, yet the presence of a small quantity of oxygen does not 
prevent its growth, for it will develope in puncture cultivations even 
though the access of air be not prevented — of course best at the lowest 
part of the puncture. It grows very well in alkaline bouillon. 
The microscopical appearances presented by this microbe are very 
variable: short and long rods, simple, straight, branching or wavy 
filaments, cocci and felt-like masses, especially from the egg cultures, are 
to be seen. 
The cocci are sometimes found free, but more frequently within the 
rods or filaments. The authors refrain from expressing a definite opinion 
as to their exact nature, but do not regard them as spores or degenera- 
tion conditions. They stain well by Gram’s method. 
In none of the cultivations were club-shaped elements met with, bat 
by injecting these cultivations into animals, tumours containing club- 
shaped bodies were produced. 
Twenty-two animals were inoculated with the agar cultivations, and 
in all, except one (a sheep), Actinomyces tumours were developed. 
Most of the inoculations were injections into the peritoneal sac. Pure 
cultivations were made from the tumours in the infected animals. 
The authors consider that this micro-organism should be placed 
among the Mucedineae, although its pleomorphism is obviously very 
marked. 
Alternation of Generations in the Uredineae.* * * § — Herr P. Dietel lias 
established a new example of this phenomenon, identifying JEcidium 
Bellidiastri , parasitic on Bellidiastrum MicJielii , as a stage in the 
development of a new species of Puccinia , P. firma, found on Carex 
jirma. 
Uredineae parasitic on Berberis.f — Herr P. Magnus describes several 
new species of Uredineae parasitic on various species of Berberis : — 
TJropyxis Naumanniana on B. buxifolia , from an island in the Magellan 
Straits, distinguished by the pedicel of the teleutospores being broader 
than the spores themselves ; Puccinia Meyeri- Alberti, from Chile, in 
which the groups of teleutospores are surrounded by a tuft of paraphyses ; 
JEcidium Leveilleanum, from Chile, characterized by the flask-shaped 
form of the cells of the peridium ; Puccinia neglecta, on a Berberis- leaf 
of uncertain origin ; Uredo Stolpiana , from Chile, in which the germ- 
pores of the uredospores are distributed in two rings. 
Fungus-parasites of cultivated plants. — M. E. Prillieux r J describes 
a disease which attacks the leaves of the quince, causing them to turn 
brown and flaccid. It is caused by a Monilia , nearly allied to M. Lin- 
hartiana , parasitic on Prunus Padus, which is the conidial form of 
Sclerotinia Padi. 
Dr. J. B. De Toni § enumerates and describes the various parasitic 
fungi which attack the tobacco-plant. Of these, some are peculiar to 
the genus Nicotiana, viz. : — Lsestadia Marii , Phyllosticta Tabaci , P. cap - 
* Hedwigia, xxxi. (1892) pp. 215-7. 
t Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., x. (1892) pp. 319-26 (1 pi. and 1 fig.). 
t Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xxxix. (1892) pp. 209-12 (1 fig.). 
§ ‘ Le Malattie Crittogamiche della planta del Tabacco,’ Padova, 1892, 4 pp. 
