84 
REPORT ON BOTANY, MDCCCXLI : 
Infusorise, and Euglena sanguinea and E. viridis, Ehrenb., 
are at present doubtful beings. 
FUNGfl. 
Dry Rot, by Schwabe, Linnsea, 1840, p. 194. — The author 
describes the dry rot, Boletus destructor, Shrad. (Polyporous 
destructor, Fries), especially the thallus, very accurately, from 
its first origin, and mentions, that it is more frequent in Dessau 
than Merulius vastator, Tode (lacrymans, Fr.) The destruc- 
tion of the wood, he adds, seems to be caused by the fibres of 
the fungus depriving the woody cells of their contents, for the 
purpose of obtaining the nourishment which they require for 
their vegetation, by which the latter loose their consistency 
and toughness ; the membranous walls of the cells suffer parti- 
cularly, for they are always seen brittle and torn, on examining 
them under the microscope. In Berlin, which certainly is not 
far from Dessau, the Merulius vastator, Tode, is the most 
frequent. The latter, however, rather imbibes the humidity of 
the atmosphere by its fibres or tubes, which is distributed 
through the wood, and thus produces decay or decomposition. 
Penicillum Bioti, described by Turpin, Comp. Rend. vol. i. 
p. 507. This mould had grown in a closely corked bottle, in 
which there was distilled water, with some dextrine, which 
Biot sent to the author. He describes the thallus of this 
fungus with great exactness, and adds, that its swollen articu- 
lations contain granules, which have induced him to classify it 
as a particular species. Of the fructification he says. When 
the vegetation has come to a certain point it decreases, the 
articulations of the small stems become shorter, more globular, 
and arrange themselves in a moniliform row, which is either 
simple or compound. The small globules are of a bluish colour. 
The fungus, according to the author, propogates itself in a 
threefold manner ; 1st, By an almost spontaneous generation, 
for the organized globules of the dextrine need only to be 
properly arranged, in order to represent this mould at once : 
2d, By globules in the tubes ; and, finally, by separated joints. 
476 
