contents of the peridium flowed out in a liquid form ^, still, individual observation can only be cited for 

 what it is worth, and in ramy weather the bottom of the bag, by retaiuiag wet, may reduce the contents to 

 mud, in which case the peziza-like stratum might endure after the lic[uid was gone ; whereas when deli- 

 quescence does not take place the whole mass remains together, shrunk in volume and greatly diminished in 

 weight, fit for tinder or amadou. In these days, when a Lucifer match is so readily at hand, tinder has 

 gone out of fashion for household pm'poses, but in the time of Gerarde, the dry Fusse-ball, wliich smoulders 

 without flame, and is therefore not extinguishable by currents of air, was found a useful article in domestic 

 economy. " In divers parts of England, where people dwell farre fi'om neighbours, they carry them kindled 

 with fire, which lasteth long ; whereupon they were called Lucernarum Fungi." Their substance is in fact 

 a natural amadou, such as is a necessary adjunct to the cigar, but if there be any truth in the opinion of 

 the deleterious properties of the dust (spores), it would not be safe either to blow upon as tinder, or applied 

 to wounds as a styptic; the beKef that the "snuff" from the "Devil's box" is injurious to the eyes is 

 general, whether well founded or not few would hazard the experiment of proving, any kind of dust in the 

 eyes being unpleasant to say the least. 



" The country people do use to kiU or smother Bees with these Fusse-balls, being set on fire, for the 

 which purpose it fitly serveth." (Gerarde's Herbal, 1597.) The " Humane Bee-keepers " are probably not 

 aware that the use of this Fungus to assist them in " depriving " bees, is three hundred years old ; a friend 

 having lately asked for some to apply for the purpose, renders it impossible to refi-ain from saying a few 

 words on tliis subject, questions of humanity being always worthy of investigation, and apt to be perverted 

 by mistaken sentimentahty. The country people of the present time " stifle " the bees irrecoverably when 

 they take away their honey ; the " humane " and enlightened bee-keeper, instead of depriving the bees of 

 life for ever, " temporarily stifles " them so that they may recover ,and then glories in his humanity over the 

 rustic brute who massacres bees — " We have each got the honey, but my bees are ahve ! " Alive for what ? To 

 discover that the treasure they worked for is gone, the food they hoarded replaced by an inferiour substitute, in 

 order that they may toil through other summers to meet an equally bitter disappointment, living in the accumu- 

 lation of wealth wliich they are never to enjoy, — but, "annually deprived ", die annually. Surely oue death were 

 better, and no after-suffering of destitution ; for the instinct wliich makes these insects hoard a sufficiency, 

 must also inform them they have lost it. Poor bees ! It would be weU if it could be ascertained whether 

 the " stifling " from one material be more painful than from another ; it is permitted to kill an ox for food, 

 by parity of reasoning it is therefore permitted to kill bees, only let both be done with as httle suffering as 

 possible ; all life must be otice extinguislied, and, perhaps, the human bed of sickness is the most painful 

 manner of all. 



Under the head of Lycoperdon saccatum wiU be found directions for cooking the Puff-ball tribe ; we 

 need only add a repeated recommendation of the " Vescie buone da friggere " of the Tuscans — our Giant 

 Lycoperdons. 



' In Lycoperdon saccatum the deliquescence of the contents of the peridium oozes out as a disagreeable oUvaceous 

 fluid, but the top of the hay does not hurst in areolcB, it decays altogether leaving the stem-Uke base entire. 



