364 Biffcn. — A Fat-Destroying Fungus. 
asparagin, 1 per cent, cane-sugar and gelatine, or with yeast- 
extract and gelatine. White patches of mycelium appeared 
in a few days, and the jelly surrounding them turned an olive- 
green colour. The mycelium was then lifted out with a steri- 
lized needle and transferred to sterilized blocks of coco-nut 
endosperm, kept moist in plugged test-tubes by means of 
wads of cotton-wool saturated with water. The sterilization 
was effected by boiling in a steam-sterilizer for an hour on 
three successive days. Attempts were made to obtain pure 
cultures without this heating, and consequent change of the 
endosperm-contents, by sawing off a piece of the shell and 
a thin layer of endosperm, singeing the cut surface and 
cutting out blocks of endosperm with a sterilized cork-cutter, 
but without success. On infecting these blocks the Fungus 
grew more rapidly than on those sterilized by boiling, but 
a crop of Penicillium invariably grew at the same time. 
A series of cultures were also made on sterilized Brazil- 
nuts. The Fungus grew equally well on these, and gave 
throughout the same results as obtained with cultures on 
coco-nut endosperm. 
In a week’s time the greater part of the infected block was 
covered with a coarse snow-like mass of mycelium, whether 
the soft endosperm or the hard brown testa was infected. 
This mycelium increased so rapidly that in a few weeks it 
half filled the tubes. During its growth large quantities of 
water were secreted. After about a month or six weeks the 
growth of the mycelium appeared to have ceased, except that 
at irregular intervals of time close spherical tufts of mycelium, 
from a quarter to half an inch in diameter, were formed. 
Meanwhile the shape of the blocks of coco-nut endosperm 
and of the Brazil-nuts altered considerably, owing to the 
breaking down of the cells of the interior into a pulp, which 
gradually disappeared, leaving only a thin contorted shell. 
The pleasant ethereal odour already mentioned was very 
noticeable in the tubes. 
For anatomical investigation the cultures were taken up at 
weekly or fortnightly intervals, placed in Rath’s solution for 
