and it is probable that they will be found eventually in other Fungi.*

The Myxogastres are perhaps the Fungi whose affinities are at present most obscure. De Bary, on his discovery that the germination of many species gave rise to Amoeboid bodies, concluded too hastily that they belonged to the animal kingdom, an opinion which on the very face of it wore the appearance of error. He is now probably willing enough to confess that he was wrong, and he can well afford to do so, and it is to be hoped that further investigation of this interesting group will make us acquainted with their real affinities.

Observations relative to most of the points stated above are contained in the first part of the Tulasnes' magnificent work. The present volume is a further elaboration of many amongst their numerous observations as to the identity of Fungi, referred to two or more genera on account of their presenting different forms of fructification, but it is confined almost exclusively to a portion of the great group of Sphæriacei. A subsidiary object has been to define more accurately the several genera into which it is divisible, so far as European forms are concerned, and to place the whole subject in a more satisfactory condition than it has hitherto presented. Where they have at present, from want of time or opportunity, neglected any part, they have at least established principles which must more or less guide all future researches.

Much, indeed, had been done by Fries and others, and more especially in later times by Cesati and De Notaris in their Schema Sphæriacearum, towards the dismemberment of this enormous group, which contains at least 2000 species. The arrangement in the Systema Mycologicum was a wonderful effort of genius, and was necessarily the foundation of all subsequent work in the same direction. Fries, however, has not himself rested content with his first labours, and has more or less successfully, from time to time, drafted off large divisions, though in some cases he has failed from want of a more constant use of the microscope.

The separation of Cordiceps, Hypocrea, and the closely allied Nectria, was a most important movement in the right direction, though there are one or two fleshy species, as Xylaria Guepini and

*We do not think that, supposing his observations to be correct, De Bary's inability to discover spermatozoids in the genera mentioned above greatly invalidates his conclusions. Impregnation takes place in Phænogams without them, and it is possible that the same conditions may obtain in certain Fungi.

X. compuncta, not to mention Polystigma, which prevent the distinction being too strictly defined. The more carbonized species seemed meanwhile to be so intimately allied, as for a long time to forbid any striking change. One thing at least was certain, from several attempts at revision, that distinctions depending on the sporidia are in general of secondary if of any importance. It was reserved for the Tulasnes to assign to characters, derived not only from this source, but from their vegetation and variety of form, their proper value; and we have, accordingly, in the work before us, in addition to certain new genera proposed by themselves, those of previous authors, placed, as far as present information goes, on a firm foundation; and it is certain that, whatever changes may be thought necessary hereafter, this work must be resorted to as a storehouse of facts and principles.

The volume treats of three great groups, Xylariei, Valsei, and Sphæriei. The division Xylariei comprises those dark coloured species whose perithecia are immersed more or less completely in a corky, woody, or carbonaceous stroma, or in fact the truly compound Sphæria. They assume various forms, being branched, filiform, clavate, globose, or depressed, the Hypoxyla presenting a type inferior to the true Xylaria, and more disposed to become hard and carbonized, though some of the exotic species of Thamnomyces, which are often highly branched, quite equal several Hypoxyla in this respect. It is not, however, to be supposed that there are no connecting links. Several of the Valsei, which are typically Sphæria, with more or less convergent perithecia, void of a proper stroma, are often reduced to the condition of simple Sphæric, while different as Xylaria at first sight appears from these latter, Xylaria pedunculata is sometimes reduced to a single perithecium with scarcely a trace of stroma, in which condition it is Sphæria stercorarea, Sow. Such anomalies however take place in every arrangement, and are no sufficient argument against its justice, though they show how extremely difficult it is to form any truly natural system, an impossibility probably in any linear arrangement, especially where only one set of characters is taken into consideration.

The genera illustrated in this division are Xylaria, Ustulina, Poronia, Hypoxylon, Nummularia, Stictosphæria, Eutypa, Dothidea, Polystigma and Melogramma. In all these cases the non-ascigerous form has been verified with more or less success.

The acrosporic fruit in these genera presents various types. In

Xylaria the sporophores are simple, in Ustulina stratose, in Poronia repeatedly branched. In Hypoxylon they are branched and mucoriform, in Nummularia simple or forked and extremely short, and produced beneath the cuticle of the matrix. In these cases there is no material difference amongst the conidia themselves, but in Stictosphæria they are contained in distinct complicated perithecia, extremely delicate linear and curved, and at the same time coloured and gelatinous. In Eutypa they are either in distinct cysts or strata. In Polystigma, which in point of colour approaches Hypocrea and Nectria, they are hook-shaped with a broader base. In Dothidea, (at least in Dothidea Ribesia) besides external conidia there are spermatia, which resemble those of many lichens, the sporidia and conidia alike producing secondary fruit, as in Uredines, while in Dothidea melanops, besides the spermatia there are large stylospores in separate cysts. Finally, in Melogramma there are also curved or minute spermatia.

We

We do not think it necessary to follow our authors step by step through the genera of the two other divisions. come however every moment on fresh wonders; the stylospores assume the most complicated forms, and indeed have given occasion for the formation of numerous genera amongst the Coniomycetes, such as Hendersonia, Diplodia, Prosthemium, Alternaria, &c. or amongst the Hyphomycetes, as Helminthosporium, Macrosporium, Dendryphium, &c. genera, which, however spurious, yield many exquisite objects for the microscope. Sphæria itself appears with greatly diminished honours, including merely such species as S. obducens. We should have rejoiced very much to have had an appendix or catalogue of all the European species which the authors conceive may properly come under each genus, but as the work is professedly merely a selection out of a great number of observations and not a system, we have no right to complain.

The work of De Notaris, of which we have given the title above, is intended to give figures of all the Italian species, and will answer not only as an illustration of the Schema of Cesati and De Notaris, several of whose genera are adopted by the Tulasnes, but of the species belonging to a portion of those contained in their volume.*

To return, however, to the leading subject of this article, we are

* We may observe that Nectria Desmazierii had nothing to do with Desmazieres. It was first published both in Annals of Natural History, and in the Specimens of British Fungi by Mr. Berkeley. Nectria Cesatii, Mont. seems to be N. muscivora, Berk. and N. bryophila, Desm.

glad to see that the Tulasnes do not override their hobby. If their principles were carried out to an unreasonable extent, Dothidea Ribesia and D. melanops would not be included in the same genus, but respect has very properly been paid rather to natural affinity than to minute difference. We may observe by the way that the secondary fruit is sometimes available for the separation of critical species as well as genera. Xylaria carpophila, for example, which might easily be considered as a mere form of X. hypoxylon, is clearly distinguished by its very different conidia.

The brothers have neglected no available source of information, but we think the style of some parts of the volume is rather too controversial, and we do not always agree with their criticisms. They do not appear always to look on matters from the same point of view, from which they were necessarily regarded by authors some fifteen or twenty years ago. An observation which was highly suggestive then might be a mere platitude now, while the interpretation of to-day may not involve greater consequences than the less accurate one a quarter of a century ago. It may be impossible to miss the truth now, of which it was very difficult to get even a glimpse formerly. There is an occasional disposition, too, to doubt the correctness of observations which may not have fallen within their own experience. Why, for example, should it be doubted that in Melanconis Berkeleii, stylospores were seen by Mr. Berkeley and Mr. Broome at the back of the perithecia, or as it is expressed in the introduction to Cryptogamic Botany," on opposite sides of the same cellular matrix,” p. 330. Why again should they question the accuracy of Mr. Currey in figuring septa in a plant which is named in the Hookerian Herbarium Sphæria pulchella, and account for his doing so by the fact that some other species with uniseptate sporidia also appears in the same collection under the same name. The criticism besides is unjust, because Mr. Currey did not profess to give figures of the sporidia of correctly determined species, but merely of species as named in the Herbarium. Moreover, when they assert that Sphæria thelebola, Curr. is not the plant of Fries, we may remark that Mr. Currey's illustration was taken from an authentic specimen of Fries. Who then is to deter mine what Fries really meant? and the same observation is applicable in some other instances.* We may observe, again, that the remark

It would have added greatly to the value of Mr. Currey's papers had he stated who was the authority for each species. We are glad, however, to hear that Mr. Currey purposes shortly to supply this desideratum, so far at least as it

at p. 243 as to the haziness of Mr. Berkeley's view respecting the connection of certain Coniomycetes with Sphæric is very unjust and unnecessarily carping. A moment's reflection would have shown that the details which they say ought to have been given would have been quite out of place in the "Introduction," and altogether inconsistent with the object of the work.*

We will not, however, dwell on little matters of this kind. Controversy seldom leads to any good result, and is in our estimation very unpleasant reading, as parties are very apt to lose their temper and to make unguarded statements which mislead themselves and others. We prefer very much to state our sense of the wonderful sagacity and research which is exhibited in the volume before us, and to express a hope that we shall soon be favoured with fresh fruits of their industry. We hope especially that their studies may lead them in the direction of the Myxogastres and the coloured moulds, which, especially the latter, may unfold wonders which at present have scarcely been obscurely shadowed out. In concluding our notice of this work we commend not only to Mycologists, but to Physiologists in general, our author's charming volumes, as they throw light on many points of universal interest.

Original Articles.

LV.—CAVE-MEN. By John Lubbock, F.R.S.

THE principal species of Mammalia which have either become entirely extinct, or very much restricted in their geographical distribution, since the appearance of man in Europe, are-

The Cave Bear

Hyæna
Tiger

The Mammoth

Ursus spelæus.

Hyæna spelæa.
Felis spelæa.
Elephas primigenius.

may be practicable to ascertain the source from which each specimen was derived. We may remark en passant that the Tulasnes are quite right in saying that Messrs. Berkeley and Broome have overlooked the delicate appendage in Diatrype pyrrhocystis.

* Mr. Berkeley says expressly, "A volume might be written on the different forms of Sphæria, their peculiarities and their fruit, but our limits and object require brevity. The point in view is merely to give general notions which may afterwards be applied in practice." We take this opportunity of remarking that Fusarium heterosporum occurs on Rye in England, which is not ergoted. But we do not therefore doubt Messrs. Tulasnes' correctness when they state that they have always seen it on ergoted grains.