3I6 Transactions British Mycological Society

H.. geographicum DC.R. petraeum MassaI.H.. confervoides DC.H. obscuratum Massal.Arthonia radiata Ach.

and var. Swartziana Sydow

Vcrrucaria margacea Wahlenb.Staurothele umbrina A. L. Sm.Arthopyrenia epidermidis MuddA. punctiformis Am.A. fallax Am.

REVIEWS.La spore des champignons superieurs. By E. J. GILBERT. Paris:

Le Francois. 1927. 22I pp., 1 text-fig., 1 pl. 20 frs.The full title of this booklet, which proceeds" couleur, forme,

ornementation, terminologie, valeur taxonomique," explains themain contents. M. Gilbert is however one of the younger schoolof French mycologists, and each generation seems to producea number of investigators who endeavour to press the classifi­cation of the Basidiomycetes on to a more solid basis. Thereappears to be such a movement at present and the work underreview contains many hints of this. A plea is made for precisionparticularly in the description of spores-shape, ornamentationand colour being regarded as of more importance than size.Points of technique are elaborated which will be of use toamateurs, but there is incidental mention of many facts whichwill make the work interesting even to those who need no con­version to the main thesis. Gilbert's attitude may best be ex­pressed in his own words" Les mycologues, confines dans uneantique routine, sont les premieres victimes de leurs deplorablesmethodes de travail." It is to be hoped that those who intendto quote this or similar sentences will first take the trouble tostudy the book. J. R.

Clef dichotomique pour la determination des levures. By A.GUILLIERMOND. Paris: Le Francois. 1928. 124 pp., text-figs.I4 frs.Professor Guilliermond is probably the student of yeasts best

known to general botanists. He has produced a booklet whichwill be useful to those who do not desire to take their diagnosesfurther than the genus. The first fifty pages deal with generalmatters-general characteristics, methods of culture and ob­servation, isolation, methods of diagnosis; this makes a usefulintroduction to the study of yeasts. In the dichotomous keymany species of interest are mentioned with the reference totheir description; here also there are odd notes on nomenclature,and a criticism of Zendner's classification of the Endomyceta­ceae. Sporobolomyces is included among the yeasts, cytologicalinvestigation by the author having shown that its proper posi­tion is there and not amongst the Basidiomycetes. It may be

Reviews 317

mentioned that M edusomyces referred to in a footnote has beenshown by Lindner and others to be a compound "organism"owing its gelatinous consistency to Bacterium xylinum. Asummary of the key is given in the last six pages. There arenumerous text-figures which, though rough, serve their purpose.

J. R.

Die Pilze Mitteleuropas. Bd.1. Die Rohrlinge (Boletaceae). ByF. KALLENBACH. Lief. 6 and 7, pIs. IS, 16, 17, 18 and 23,PP·29-44·The plates in these further instalments of the Boletaceae deal

respectively with Boletus luridus (IS and 16), B. elegans-flavus(17), B. viscidus (18), dissections of these species, and habitatphotographs of B. luridus and B. luteus (23). The text of eightpages does not quite complete the account of the first threespecies. The great variability of B. luridus is well depicted butthe form with the olivaceous umber pileus which is regarded astypical in this country is unaccountably absent, though the veryrare form with sulphur-yellow pores is figured.

Boletus flavus (With. 1796) Fr. 1835 is regarded as synony­mous with Boletus elegans Fr. (non Schum.) Fr. 1836-38 andthe var. pulchella dropped. It appears from the order of thenames on the plates and from an occasional slip in writingelegans that the author would have preferred to use this name.

The figures well represent the range of the species as seenwith us. Great insistence is put upon its occurrence under larch.Fries in 1874 says" semper sub Larice," but it is certain that inthis country though almost always under larch it is not in­variably so, though how one is to provide Melin with theII kritische Nachprtifung" he demands is difficult to see.

The plate of Boletus viscidus shows the fungus in the formswell known to British mycologists. It is said to occur underlarch but less frequently than B. flavus. One's impression isthat there is little to choose between the two in that respecthere. A point of interest to those studying mycorrhiza is thatB. viscidus sometimes forms a ring round the bole of the larch.I have known one in Surrey for several years, the fruit-bodiesappearing in wet summers in July.

The publication maintains its high standard of production.J. R.

Mycorrhiza. An account of non-pathogenic infection by fungi invascular plants and Bryophyta. By M. C. RAYNER. NewPhytologist, Reprint No. IS. Wheldon and Wesley, Ltd. 1927.246 pp., 7 pIs., 64 text-figs.Botanists in general will welcome this summary of our know­

ledge of mycorrhiza, that strange association of fungus and