ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
93 
The fungi employed were chiefly species of Benicillium and Botrytis ; 
the membranes — cellulose, theepiderm of the bulb of the onion, leaves of 
Tradescantia , collodion, parchment, pith of elder, cork, wood, &c. The 
irritation-contact causes the formation of hapters or attaching organs ; 
and the forces which bring about the penetration of the fungus are both 
chemical and physical. That the latter can act by themselves is shown 
by the fact that fungi can penetrate a very thin layer of gold. The 
power of parasitic fungi to infect only special hosts, is probably due to 
the nature of the excreted ferment, which varies with the species. 
Monoblepharidese.* — Mr. R. Thaxter describes two new species of 
Monoblepharis , both growing on submerged sticks, 31. fasciculata and 
M. insignis , and records some general observations on the life-history of 
the genus. The free-swimming antherozoids are nearly spherical or 
broadly ovoid, and contain a few refractive granules and a large central 
nucleus. They move with considerable rapidity, the single cilium being 
directed backwards, and they may often be seen to come suddenly to 
rest on an unfertilised oogone, over which they begin at once to creep 
with an amoeboid movement. A portion of the protoplasm discharged 
by the oogone when it opens collects round its mouth, and exercises an 
attractive force on the antherozoids. 
A full description is given of the genus Gonapodya, and of a new 
species G. polymorpha. 
A new genus Myrioblepharis is described, with the following 
diagnosis : — Hyphae slender, sparingly branched, bearing terminal zoo- 
sporanges which become many times proliferous, and form an elongated 
series traversed by the hyphae from the successive proliferations of which 
they arise ; zoospores very large, multiciliate over their whole surface, 
resulting from the division of the contents of the sporanges, and making 
their exit as a single ciliated mass surrounded by a gelatinous membrane 
attached to the distal end of the sporange ; the successive envelopes, 
after rupturing distally, are persistent round the series of empty 
sporanges. The single species, 31. paradoxa, was found on submerged 
sticks. 
TJstilagineae.f — Herr O. Brefeld records the result of a series of 
experiments on the infection of oat, millet, and maize by fungi belonging 
to the Ustilaginese, the infection being effected by means of the conids. 
The author describes in detail the mode in which the oat is penetrated 
by the mycele of Ustilago Avense, the millet by U. cruenta, and maize by 
U. 3/laydis . 
The author divides the Hemibasidii into Protohem ibasidii (Ustila- 
gineae) and Autohkmibasidii (Tilletiaceae) according to whether the 
ustilagospores produce on germination septated conidiophores (promy- 
celes) with lateral conids, or unseptated conidiophores with terminal 
conids. The conids may develope into yeast-fungi by budding. In the 
course of development the higher form or hemibasid is produced only 
once, the lower mode of fructification many times. 
The genus TJstilago is divided into three sections, Proustilago, 
* Bot. Gazette, xx. (1895) pp. 433-40, 477-85 (2 pis.). 
f Unters. a. d. Gesammtgeb. d. Mykclogie, xi. and xii. (1 pi.), MUnster, 1895. 
See Hedwigia, xxxiv. (1895) Rep., p. 138. 
