98 
REVIEWS OE RECENT LITERATURE. 
Brefeld, Oscar. — Untersuchungen aus dem Gesammtgebiete der Myko- 
logie. Fortsetzung der Schimmel und Hefenpilze von Oscar Brefeld. 
Die Untersuchungen sind ausgefiilirt irn Konigl. botanischen Insti¬ 
tute in Mtinster i. W. mitUnterstiitzung der Herren Dr. G. Istvanffy 
4 
und Dr. Olav. Jolian-Olsen. Quarto. Leipzig, verlag von Arthur 
Felix. 1888 and 1889. Heft VII. Basidiomyceten II. Protobasi- 
diomyceten , pp. 178; 11 lithographic plates. Price 28 marks. Heft 
VIII. Basidiomyceten III. Autobasidiomyceten und die Begriindung 
des natiirlicJien Systemes der Pilze , pp. 305; 12 lithographic plates. 
Space forbids mention of all the interesting and important conclusions 
reached by Brefeld in these two volumes, which extend and complete 
Heft III, published in 1877. The work deserves and must everywhere 
receive the highest praise. A man of less heroic mold would never 
have undertaken, much less have carried to completion, such a stu¬ 
pendous work. It represents the labor of years, and sums up the criti¬ 
cal study of over two hundred distinct species, distributed through 
about sixty-five genera and snbgenera, each of which was grown in 
sterilized culture media from a single spore. The results of this study, 
if confirmed by others as in great part they undoubtedly will be, must 
lead to a number of important changes in classification, one of these 
being the reduction of the (Jredinece to a subordinate position alongside 
the Auriculariece and Tremellinecc under Protobasidiomycetes , another 
being the recognition cf the close relationship of the TJstilaginecc. 
Ptycliogaster-forms are regarded simply as free-living TJstilaginecc , 
and the smuts must consequently be looked upon as reduced or unde¬ 
veloped Basidiomycetes , destitute of pilei, stipes, etc., and restricted to 
the production of chlamydospores (smut spores). In like manner the 
Uredo- Teleuto- and JEcidio-spores of tbe lJredinece are regarded as 
only so many forms of chlamydospores strictly comparable with those 
discovered in Basidiomycetes. 
Nothing need be said here respecting BrefekTs methods, since they 
have been already generally approved, and are set forth substantially 
in Heft IV, only such modifications and improvements of methods 
there described being employed as time and experience showed to be 
necessary. It is sufficient to state that single spores were cultivated 
in suitable media and their growth followed uninterruptedly from ger¬ 
mination to the production of fresh spores upon simple or compound 
sporopliores. Many of these were under cultivation for months 
together, nml so thoroughly successful were some of his cultures that 
by the use of larger and larger slides and by the addition of fresh 
nutrient material he was able to keep some species under observation 
