SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
stituent, acting somewhat like the lenticels of higher plants. They 
occur only on the lower surface of the thallus, and are breaks in the 
continuity of the lower epidermal layer. 
Rate of Growth of a Saxicolous Lichen.* * * § — According to M. J. 
Vallot, Parmelia saxatilis exhibits a remarkable regularity of growth, 
the thallus being always nearly circular. This circle does not ordi- 
narily attain a greater diameter than 20 cm., after which the lichen 
dies; and the rate of growth indicates that the time occupied before 
arriving at maturity is from forty to fifty years. 
Origin of Saccharomycetes.f — Herr 0 . Seiter makes a preliminary 
communication of his observations and experiments relative to the im- 
portant question of the origin of Saccharomycetes. The conclusion 
arrived at is that the derivation of Saccharomycetes from mould-fungi is 
not at present proven, though the author does not exclude the possibility 
that yeasts may originally have descended from fungi. The complete 
treatise, with illustrations, together with studies on Saccharoimjces octo- 
sporus , is promised later. 
Schizosaccharomyces Pombe.* — Herr F. Rothenbach has made 
experiments with the pombe yeast relative to its introduction into prac- 
tical brewing. It was found that pombe possesses greater fermentative 
action on diastase-free media than yeasts of the Frohberg type. It 
produces a relatively large quantity of alcohol. It forms acid, and 
suppresses the growth of Schizomycetes. At low temperature it ferments 
as a bottom yeast. At high temperatures it becomes a top yeast. In 
conjunction with another yeast (Race ii.), the alcohol produced in a 
given time is greater than that produced by either yeast alone. 
Pathogenic Action of Blastomycetes.§ — Dr. Sanfelice describes a 
new pathogenic Blastomycete, which is named Saccharomyces lithogenes on 
account of the formation of peculiar calcareous masses in the tissues of 
almost all the animals infected with it. The cultivations were obtained 
from the lymphatic glands of an ox which had succumbed to primary 
cancer of the liver. The calcareous masses were found to be composed of 
phosphate of lime. The animals inoculated w ith pure cultivations died 
in from one to two months ; in all their organs the calcareous masses 
were fouud, and from their viscera the same microbe was re-isolated. 
Development of Stropharia.|| — Dr. P. Voglino has followed out the 
life-history of Stropharia merdaria, found on horse-dung, which has an 
Oospora-iovm as well as an ordinary agaric-form. When the spores of 
the ordinary form germinate, they produce a ££ promycele ” with conids 
( Oospora ) ; these conids may, on germination, produce new generations 
of conids, and finally mycelial branches with the Stropharia fructifi- 
cation ; these mycelial branches are produced after the formation of 
* Rev. Gen. de Bot. (Bonnier), viii. (1896) pp. 201-2. 
f Central bl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 2 te Abt., ii. (1896) pp. 301-7, 319-21. 
Cf. this Journal, ante, p. 218. 
% Zeitschr. f. Spiritus-Industrie, 1896, Nos. 8-15. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. 
Parasitenk., 2 te Abt., ii. (1896) pp. 395-401. 
§ Zeitschr. f. Hygiene, xxi. pp. 391-420. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasi- 
tenk., l tc Abt., xix. (1896) p. 952. 
|| Atti K. Accad. Sci. Torino, xxxi. (1896) pp. 365-76 (1 pi.). 
