THE ERGOT OF RYE, ETC. 
117 
kryptogamische Giftgewcichse, and of Philippar, in his 
" Traite Organogruphique et Physiologico-agricole sur 
P Ergot, fyc, dans les Cerealesf' from both of whom we 
learn much interesting matter, and also the history and former 
hypotheses of the ergot, which here will be omitted, for the 
sake of shortening this communication. 
After many attempts at the examination of the ergot of rye 
in the state it is generally found in the shops, I could never 
succeed in finding any thing from such specimens, respecting 
its structure, that served to identify it satisfactorily with any 
other vegetable production; consequently it has long been my 
wish to obtain recent specimens of the rye, or any other er- 
gotized grass, in order to trace the growth of the ergot from 
its first commencement, which I have this year been enabled 
to do; and one grass in particular, the Elymus sabulosis, a 
plant much larger than the rye, has afforded an excellent illus- 
tration of the growth and development of this anomalous 
formation. 
In order to trace the ergot through its several phases, it is 
necessary to become acquainted with the normal size and cha- 
racteristics of the grain of the several grasses, in its various 
stages, whilst healthy, and also the same conditions of its ap- 
pendages, which may be probably understood from the figures 
and following description. When this examination is made 
